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I 



“THE HOME-RUN KING 





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In the thirteenth inning- Pep again came to bat, and 
right there the game was finished. 


[The Home-Run KingJ 



THE 


HOME-RUN KING” 


OR 

HOW PEP PINDAR 
WON HIS TITLE 


By 

"Babe” Ruth 

(George H. Ruth) 


A. L. BURT COMPANY 


Publishers 


New York 


Copyright, 1920, By 
THE H. K. FLY COMPANY 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

Biographical Sketch 1 

I. Pep Breaks a Record — Also the Baptist Me- 
morial Window and Eddie Sweet’s Best 

Bonnet 11 

II. A Mysterious Stranger Comes to the Rescue 20 

III. Pep’s Nine Trounces the Town Team and 

THE Town Bully Nearly Licks Pep . . 37 

IV. In Order to Get a Chance to Play Ball, Pep 

Seeks Educational Honors 65 

V. Pep and His Chums Enter Wingate Academy 87 

VI. Pop Murray, the Veteran Pitcher, Delivers 

A Few Straight Ones 97 

VII. Eddie Sweet Seeks Revenge for His Busted 

Straw Hat Ill 

VIII. Pep Bumps Up Against a Rule That Is Not 

IN the Baseball Guide 126 

IX. The First Game of Wingate Academy 

Against Lakewood Military Academy . . 146 

X. Pop Murray Gives a Little Talk to the Win- 
gate Team and Makes a Startling An- 
nouncement 156 

XL The Second Game with Lakewood . . . 170 

XII. The Boys Take a Trip to the Polo Grounds 

AND See the Blue Sox Play the Pilgrims 180 

XIII. Pep Plays an Important Part in a Kidnap- 

ping Party 198 

XIV. The Final Game with Lakewood .... 209 

XV. Pep Is Initiated into the Order of the 

Golden Bat 216 

XVI. Class Day at Wingate 230 


A BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
THE AUTHOR 


Twenty-six years ago — February seventh, eight- 
een ninety-four, to be exact — a big black-haired 
baby boy was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His 
mother and father both looked at him with awe and 
pride and named him each in his or her own way. 
George his father said it must be, and Herman 
his mother insisted upon, and so he became George 
Herman Ruth. 

It was good effort almost wasted. Before the 
boy was eight years old the George Herman was 
forgotten. 

The trials that naming this youngster caused his 
parents were as nothing compared to what the 
years held in store for them. It does not take 
long for a boy to find out that the hills and creeks 
of Maryland are a wonderland, calling insistently 
to him to come and bask in their secrets, when the 
warm suns of Spring are making the streets of 
Baltimore hot and muggy. 

I 


12 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR 


Boys have a great way of choosing their own 
leaders, and George Ruth’s smile and the great 
bulk of him made him a marked lad. When he 
was only five he was the size of most youngsters 
of eight or nine and welcomed as a companion by 
boys of that age. 

Boys of five or. six, as a rule, have not arrived 
at the baseball stage. Be that as it may, the fact 
remains that Ruth was being punished for his love 
of the game before his sixth birthday. It was his 
first year in school. Spring was on in earnest. 
Schoolrooms had become warm and musty. The 
Maryland hills were turning green. He knew 
where there was a game and a place for him. 

If he had been satisfied with an occasional lapse 
from grace all might have been well with him ; but 
one taste always begets another, so before the year 
was over George Herman Ruth had made himself 
decidedly unpopular with the authorities in charge 
of Baltimore’s public schools. 

That summer George Ruth played baseball to 
his heart’s content. 

School opened that Fall and it was a time of 
misgiving for his parents. George had promised 
to attend strictly to business, but over his head 


BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR 


3 


hung the sentence that if he were again reported 
as a truant he was through. 

It was not long before Ruth’s father knew that 
his boy was in trouble. You cannot get an educa- 
tion by attending school two or three days a week. 
George Ruth was finished as far as the public 
schools were concerned. 

Everyone in Baltimore knows of St. Mary’s In- 
dustrial School for Boys. It is an institution run 
by an order of Catholic Brothers. Boys who 
have been ungovernable and incorrigible are sent 
there and taught a trade. Whether it is by supe- 
rior patience or a better understanding of boy 
nature, or possibly a combination of both, boys 
are set right and have left there to go out into the 
world to carve success for themselves. 

Ruth’s father had determined that George 
should go to St. Mary’s. His mother, like all 
mothers, did not want to see her boy go away, 
and especially to a school that many people re- 
ferred to as a “reform school.” In the end he 
went, and no one knows better than “Babe” him- 
self that it was the move that made him. 

He was only about seven then, and as he waited 
all alone to be enrolled in the school, sure enough. 


4 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR 

he was homesick. The door opened. Tears were 
in his eyes when he looked up to see a man, as big 
as he is himself to-day. 

The man looked like a giant, in his black robe, 
his hands and head huge, and in keeping with the 
size of him. But it was not his size nor the large 
head which drew George Ruth’s attention — it was 
the man’s eyes ! They were smiling as eyes some- 
times do, and in them was the kindness he had 
only found in his mother’s. They belonged to 
Brother Matthias, the man who more than any 
other made “Babe” Ruth what he is to-day. It 
was their first meeting. Years have come and 
gone. George Ruth, the little, lonesome boy, 
has become the greatest man in the world to mil- 
lions, rich and famous, but he has not forgotten. 

For twelve years he went to St. Mary’s. 
“Babe’s” father would have had to comb the 
country over to have found such a hotbed of base- 
ball as the school to which he had sent his son. 
There were always thirty to forty teams in the 
school at a time. 

Brother Matthias had charge of the athletics 
and “Babe” had to stand well in his eyes. Some 
idea of the proper proportion of education to 


BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR 5 

sport was Instilled within him and his way was 
easy. 

There were games at St. Mary’s in which he 
played every position. The years rolled by and in 
the school he got a reputation for being a power- 
ful hitter. Brother Matthias believed that “Babe” 
was a catcher and repeatedly insisted on his play- 
ing that position. During some of these early 
games at St. Mary’s, long before he had made 
the first team and won the dignity of a uniform, 
he made four or five home runs in a game and as 
many as sixty to seventy a year. 

Ruth was seventeen when he made the first team. 
St. Mary’s had a fine club that year and good 
reports went out about its heavy hitting catcher, 
who also was no mean prospect as a pitcher. 
About this time “Babe” had some ambition to be 
a boxer, but luckily it was short lived. Winter 
came again and another birthday in February 
passed, and Ruth was eighteen. 

For years John Dunn, known to the baseball 
fans of the country over as “Jack” Dunn, had 
been managing the Baltimore Club in the Inter- 
national League. He has a reputation second to 
none for picking likely looking youngsters. He 


6 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR 


had heard tales about young Ruth and one day 
that winter he made a trip to St. Mary’s to see 
him. 

His surprise when Brother Matthias called him 
in to meet Mr. Dunn can well be imagined. It 
was with a shock that he realized just who this 
“Mr.” Dunn was and what brought him to St. 
Mary’s. Dunn was willing to take “Babe” on the 
Spring training trip and give him a salary of $600, 
which sum was almost beyond him to contemplate. 

Brother Matthias had as a matter of course, 
through Ruth’s enlistment in the school, become 
“Babe’s” legal guardian, and he saw in Dunn’s 
offer a real chance for the boy and persuaded him 
to go. 

The trip to Fayetteville, the Spring training 
camp of the Orioles, was the first real journey he 
had ever made. The professional ball players 
were used to having boys up with the team for a 
few weeks in the Spring and observed their com- 
ing and going with little interest as a rule, but 
Ruth’s size and the fact that in the very first prac- 
tice game he had made a homer off league pitch- 
ing made him an object of interest. 

Dunn tried him at short with no success. 


BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR 7 

“Babe’’ pleaded for a chance as pitcher, and in 
an inning or two showed enough promise to 
warrant Dunn in starting him in the first of a 
series of exhibition games against Connie Mack’s 
famous Athletics. That was in nineteen fourteen 
and the Athletics were the Athletics in those days. 

Ruth’s greatest chance had come. Oldring, Col- 
lins and Murphy were the first three men to face 
him in that game. In order he sent them back. 
Three strike-outs! 

“Babe” won that game. The final score was 
6-2 in his favor, and to complete his happiness 
Dunn voluntarily raised his salary to twelve hun- 
dred dollars. Before the International season was 
two months old Dunn had given him another in- 
crease of six hundred. 

Carrigan was managing the Red Sox in the 
American League that year and he saw enough in 
Ruth to bring him into the majors. By July Fourth 
the boy who a year before had been a sand-lot 
player on St. Mary’s second team was in the big 
leagues — the dream of every ballplayer. 

“Babe’s” stay with the Red Sox was short- 
lived, however. Under an optional agreement, 
Carrigan sent him down to Providence in the same 


8 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR 


league with his old team. He had made good with 
Baltimore as a pitcher and had no trouble in win- 
ning for Providence. In September Carrigan re- 
called him, and he was back to stay this time. 

“Babe” had received two blows when Boston 
had farmed him to Providence. Going back to 
the minors when he had been so confident was bad 
enough in itself, but during those few days in Bos- 
ton he had met a Miss Helen Woodford, a Texas 
girl studying there. The attraction was mutual 
and she waited to welcome him back to the place 
where he belonged. That Fall they were married 
in Baltimore. 

Nineteen fifteen was really Ruth’s first season 
as a major leaguer. He was used only as a pitcher 
that year and won eighteen out of twenty-five 
starts. That year he made only four home runs, 
but to the surprise of the league batted .300, which 
for a pitcher was incredible. 

The next year, nineteen sixteen, he led the 
American League pitchers with a record of twenty- 
three games won out of thirty-six. It was bis best 
year as a pitcher, although he fell off in batting 
to .272. Boston got into the World’s Series that 
Fall and Ruth made a record of scoreless innings 


BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR 9 

that still stands for World Series pitching, — thir- 
teen in a row ! 

The following year he was used exclusively as 
a pitcher with winning results and batted fifth for 

•325- 

The life of a pitcher is short in the big leagues, 
whereas a slugging outfielder is good for a long 
time, and that winter “Babe” made up his mind 
to give his entire thought to hitting. 

So when the season of nineteen eighteen opened 
he was given a chance in the outfield and also 
played first base in a number of games. He tied 
Walker for the home-run honors of the league that 
year, both having eleven to their credit. 

“Babe” was established now as a heavy hitter 
and most people believed his pitching days ended 
back there. However, he pitched seventeen full 
games in nineteen nineteen and broke the big 
league records for all time in the matter of home 
runs. His total for the year being twenty-nine. 
He had to beat “Buck” Freeman’s mark of twen- 
ty-seven made years ago to do this. 

He at once became the biggest drawing card in 
the game and Boston could not well refuse the 
offer of $130,000 made by the New York Yankees 


10 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR 


for him. It was the largest price ever paid for a 
ball player. 

The wonderful record he made in nineteen nine- 
teen was soon broken to bits, and as this is writ- 
ten he has amassed a tremendous total of fifty- 
one home runs. 

Back at St. Mary’s he had learned the secret ot 
right living. Not once during the twelve years 
he spent there had he missed church and not a Sun- 
day since has found him absent, no matter where 
the game has taken him. 

Money has flowed into his purse in an ever- 
increasing stream. In New York he and his wife 
have an apartment, but it is out at Sudbury, a sub- 
urb of Boston, where the real home is. “Babe” 
has a cigar factory in Boston and it is no rich man’s 
hobby either. Between baseball, the movies and 
the stage his time is pretty well taken up, but he 
finds time to be alone with his family and friends, 
where he is just a big boy, full of enthusiasm and 
a shining example to all other American boys of 
what life will give you if you try hard enough and 
get started on the right road. 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


CHAPTER I 

PEP BREAKS A RECORD ALSO THE BAPTIST ME- 

MORIAL WINDOW AND EDDIE SWEET’S BEST 
BONNET 

Bing! The loud, sharp crack, as the swiftly 
moving ball met the still more swiftly moving bat, 
told the spectators that it was a heavy hit. Jake 
Snyder, who was pitching for the town boys, had 
tried to fool Pep Pindar, the champion batter of 
the school nine, by delivering what Jake called 
one of his famous ‘‘cannon ball shoots.” But Pep 
was not caught napping. His keen eye had judged 
the ball with accuracy and, with his feet solidly 
braced, he had put every ounce of his sturdy, mus- 
cular body behind the swing of his stick. The bat 
met the ball at exactly the right angle and, as it 
shot forth. Pep started speeding towards first base. 


12 


‘THE HOME-RUN KING” 


“Holy Mackerel! What a wallop!” squealed 
little Tick Wood, the score-keeper, jumping excit- 
edly to his feet to watch the flight of the ball. 

“ril say it’s some wallop,” agreed Pink Hop- 
per as he chased down towards the first base coach- 
ing line. “It’s a homer all right. Go it. Pep !” 
he yelled, “all the way round the mulberry patch.” 
Then, still noting the flight of the ball. Pink con- 
tinued, “Great Caesar! It’s going clean over the 
top of the meeting-house sheds. Take it easy. 
Pep, nobody’s ever going to catch that fly.” 

Sure enough, the ball was sailing over the roof 
of the long row of wooden sheds, owned by the 
Baptist Church, situated back of center field. 

“That sure is a record-breaking clout,” admitted 
Jake Snyder with mingled admiration and cha- 
grin. “He must have caught it right on the nose 
in just the right spot.” 

It was a record-breaker. While a few batters, 
on rare occasions, had managed to hit a long fly 
that reached the sheds, no one before had ever 
heard of a player batting a fly over the top of 
the sheds. In fact, this was deemed an impos- 
sible feat. As the Baptist Church was located 
just the other side of the sheds, it would have 


PEP BREAKS A RECORD 13 

made the ball field dangerous if the batters could 
hit the balls over the sheds. 

It was late Saturday afternoon and the East 
Wingate schoolboys were just having a little prac- 
tice game with some of the town boys, getting in 
trim for the big annual game between the town 
team and the school nine, which always took place 
a few weeks before school let out, when the 
Teachers’ Institute was being held at the East 
Wingate Union High School. 

As the ball disappeared over the roof of the 
sheds, the boys heard a startling crash. 

“Oh, mama I” yelled Pink. “It must have shot 
right through one of the windows of the Baptist 
Church.” 

Players of both teams and spectators raced 
across the field to investigate. As they came to 
the corner of the sheds, Willie Peters, who had 
been playing center field and had already gone 
around and found what had happened, came rush- 
ing back to tell the news. With the others. Pep 
was running to see what damage had been done. 

“You’re in for it now, Pep,” called out Willie. 
“The ball went right straight through that big 
Deacon Sloan Memorial window at the back of 


14 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


the church and maybe it hurt somebody inside, be- 
cause it is choir-practice night and I heard a lot 
of racket and yelling inside.’* 

“Gee whiz !” exclaimed Pep in consternation, 
“I guess that will cook my goose with dad so far 
as going to Wingate Academy is concerned. If 
they make him pay for that window he’ll be sorer 
than ever about my playing ball so much and it’s 
a cinch he’ll make me stay on the farm and work 
it out. What’d we better do, fellows?” 

“Let Willie run around to the door and peek 
in and see if anybody is hurt,” advised Pink. 
“Then if it’s all right, let’s beat it over to Pop 
Murray’s garage and tell him about it and see 
what he thinks we had better do.” 

Willie hastened to the door, glanced in and then 
came back and reported. 

“I guess nobody’s hurt very much, although all 
the choir is gathered around old Miss Bronson, 
the music teacher; but she was standing up and 
talking so I guess likely she was more scared than 
she was hurt.” 

Without waiting to retrieve the ball or to make 
any further investigations, the boys hastened back 
across the field to Pop Murray’s garage, which 


PEP BREAKS A RECORD 


15 

was situated near the end of North Main Street. 

Dennis Murray was almost a patron saint for 
all the boys of East Wingate. Although he had 
no family of his own, having always been traveling 
around too much to stop and get married, as he 
explained, yet he was known as Pop, not only to 
the boys but to every person in the community. In 
his youth he had run away from home to join a 
circus and had traveled all over the country. 
Later he had joined a traveling baseball nine. In 
his day he had been a famous pitcher, but an at- 
tack of fever had left him unable to continue at ball 
playing. As he had first begun his circus career 
by helping to take care of the horses, during which 
period he had learned the art of horse shoeing, 
when the attack of fever forced him to quit the 
diamond, he bought out the blacksmith shop in 
East Wingate, which, in the course of time, be- 
came a garage and sort of general repair shop. 

Pop was one of the most respected citizens of 
East Wingate and was generally regarded as be- 
ing one of the best informed men on baseball mat- 
ters in the country. 

The walls of his shop were decorated with 
photographs and pictures, cut from newspapers, of 


1 6 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

scores of famous ball players. Pop could give the 
history and record of every player on any major 
league team, as well as that of any of the star 
players In the minor leagues. 

As the boys came trooping up to the garage, 
Pop was helping his assistant, Bill Sweeney, to 
shift a tire on a big elegant-looking touring car 
that stood In front of the garage. Standing beside 
the car, watching the work, was a stocky-looking 
individual, dressed In a long duster and motoring 
costume. A smartly dressed chauffeur was giving 
instructions regarding the mending and shifting of 
the tire. As the boys came up, Pop dropped his 
tools and turned to them with a smile, saying: 

“Well, me laddie bucks, what’s the trouble now? 
Have you got Into a scrap and want me to settle 
it for you?” 

“It’s something worse than a scrap this time. 
Pop,” said Pink Hopper, who was captain of the 
school team and usually acted as spokesman In 
matters of this sort. “What do you think, Pop? 
Pep has just batted a ball clear over the meeting- 
house sheds and right bang through the Deacon 
Sloan Memorial Window, which folks say cost 
more than a hundred dollars to put In. Now It 


PEP BREAKS A RECORD 


17 


looks as though this is going to knock the spots 
out of his chance of going to Wingate Academy 
with the rest of us next term.” 

“What’s that ye say?” asked Pop In amaze- 
ment, “do you mean that Pep knocked a ball clear 
from your home plate all the way across the field 
and over the meeting-house sheds, into the church 
windy?” 

“We sure do mean just that,” answered Pink. 
“It was a humdinger of a drive and broke all rec- 
ords for home runs on our field, but it looks as 
though It’s going to be a pretty costly home run 
for Pep and the rest of us fellows.” 

“Do you think they’ll make Pep’s father stand 
all the cost of the busted window or will •” 

“Hey there. Pep Pindar!” The exclamation 
came from a tall, flashily dressed youth who, evi- 
dently, had been following the boys to the garage 
and had just caught up with them. In one hand 
this youth was carrying a battered straw hat which 
had every appearance of having been run over by 
a steam roller. 

“Look at my new hat, will you. Pep Pindar, and 
see what you did when you batted your old ball 
through the church window? You got to pay for 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


i8 

that hat Pep Pindar. It cost me two dollars and 
sixty-five cents and this is the first time I ever 
wore it.” 

“Oh, what’s biting you, Sweetie? How did I 
bust your old hat? The ball didn’t hit it, did it?” 
asked Pep. 

“No,” admitted Eddie, “the ball didn’t hit it, 
but it might have. I was just practicing on my 
tenor solo for next Sunday, when smash ! that ball 
came in through the window and sent the glass 
flying everywhere and everybody yelled and old 
Miss Bronson threw up her hands and almost 
fainted away and flopped right down on my hat — 
and you’re going to pay for it, too. Pep Pindar.” 

“Oh, go chase yourself, Sweetie I” exclaimed 
Pink, “you and your hat. I guess we’ve got 
trouble enough figuring out how we’re going to 
pay for that busted window without thinking about 
your dinky old bonnet.” 

“ ’Tain’t a dinky old bonnet,” howled Eddie, 
“it’s my best new hat and I’ve only worn it once 
and now just look at it.” And as he held it up for 
their inspection, dangling by the bright purple 
band, the boys, despite their worries over the win- 
dow, were obliged to laugh at his doleful expres- 
sion. 


PEP BREAKS A RECORD 


19 


“Well,” remarked Pop, “I guess we’d better go 
right over and visit the scene of the disaster, as 
the newspaper boys say.” Turning to his assist- 
ant, “I guess you can finish up the tire, can’t you, 
Bill?” 

“Sure,” said Bill, who, of course, had stopped 
work to listen to the confab. 

The owner of the car also had been a very in- 
terested listener. 

“If you don’t mind, I’ll walk along with you,” 
he said. “I am somewhat interested in baseball 
and I would like to see just how long a hit the 
young fellow has made.” 

“Sure, come along,” said Pop, “but I can tell 
you, from what the boys have told me, that it must 
have been a terrific clout.” 

They all trailed back to the ball field with Ed- 
die Sweet tagging along behind still growling about 
the loss of his best Sunday bonnet and threatening 
dire disaster if Pep Pindar didn’t pay for the 
damage. 


CHAPTER II 


A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER COMES TO THE RESCUE 

As THEY reached the home plate and the 
stranger noted the distance that the long home-run 
hit had traveled, he turned an admiring glance to 
Pep and said: 

“Well, young man, it looks to me as though 
you must be a natural bom batter.” 

Pep blushed as he replied, “I like to hit ’em out 
as hard as I can,” while his friend. Pink, who was 
more voluble, explained to the stranger: 

“You see, mister. Pep is our champion hitter 
and his biggest ambition is to learn how to bat 
heavier than any other player around here — and 
I guess he’s done it this time all right.” 

At this moment they were interrupted by a 
group of people, evidently the choir, who came 
around the corner of the sheds, lead by a stout, 
elderly lady who was gesticulating vigorously and 
20 


A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER 


21 


talking excitedly to a clerically dressed gentleman 
who was carrying a baseball in his hand. 

“Oh, thunder!” exclaimed Pink in dismay, 
“here comes the Baptist minister, Mr. Henry 
Fletcher, and old Miss Bronson and the choir. 
Now we’re going to catch it.” 

As the choir came nearer Miss Bronson was 
saying shrilly : 

“I never, was so scairt in all my born days. I 
was standing down by the front pew listening to 
Eddie Sweet sing his solo. He was singing sim- 
ply grand. , I don’t know as I ever heard him 
sing sweeter. He had just got to that part 
where he repeats ‘An angel fair from Heaven 
came,’ each time in a higher key, when, all of a 
sudden, there was the biggest racket you ever 
heard and the whole window came smashing in 
and I was so confused that I thought to myself, 
‘Here comes the angel fair,’ and then I almost 
fainted away and sat right down on Eddie’s hat. 
But soon as I came to and saw that baseball roll- 
ing down the aisle I knew right away that this 
was some of Pep Pindar’s doings. That boy 
ought to be run out of town. He thinks about 
nothing but ball playing.” 


22 


‘THE HOME-RUN KING^ 


“There, there, sister Bronson,” exclaimed the 
preacher soothingly, “you mustn’t let yourself get 
so excited over this. Surely you must realize that 
it was an accident and that Paul didn’t mean to 
do it.” 

“Yes, he did, too,” exclaimed the excited lady. 
“I bet he hit that ball just as hard as he could. 
He had no business to hit it so hard. They 
ought to make him stop playing if he doesn’t 
stop hitting the balls like that. Why, I should 
think it would smash the balls all to pieces and, 
besides, it’s dangerous for any folks to be around. 
Don’t tell me he didn’t do it on purpose.” 

By this time the two groups had come together 
and the clergyman gave a friendly greeting to Pep 
and remarked : 

“Well, it rather looks as though our baseball 
team has a little tangle to straighten out.” Then, 
turning to Pep, he continued, “I suppose it was 
you who made this long hit, wasn’t it, Paul?” 

“Yes, I did it,” admitted Pep, sheepishly. 
“I’ve always been trying to see how hard I could 
hit the ball but I never expected to make one go 
way over the sheds like that.” 

“What do you think the damages are going to 


A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER 23 

be, Dominie?” inquired Pop. “Of course it is a 
little exciting, but I guess we can fix it up. I 
reckon most of the boys will chip in as much as 
they can afford and I guess some of the rest of 
us can make up what is left. Do you know what 
the window cost?” 

“I believe it cost the Sloan family a hundred 
and thirty dollars,” the minister replied. “As 
you are aware, this is the biggest and most ex- 
pensive window in our building. But don’t you 
think that Paul’s father would be willing to pay 
the damages?” 

“Of course, he’ll pay if he has to,” admitted 
Pop, “but as you know. Dominie, Mr. Pindar 
isn’t much of a baseball fan and the boys kind o’ 
think that if he has to come across for a big wad 
of money like that, he won’t let Pep go to Win- 
gate Academy but will make him stay home on 
the farm. You know Mr. Pindar isn’t very much 
in favor of Pep’s going to the Academy any- 
way.” 

“Isn’t this young fellow’s father able to settle 
the damages?” inquired the stranger at this point. 

“Oh, yes,” replied Rev. Fletcher, “Mr. Pindar 
owns one of the biggest farms in this community 


24 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


and is quite well-to-do, but, as he has made his 
money by hard work, he’s rather careful about 
spending it. Besides, Mr. Pindar is not alto- 
gether pleased with Paul’s record in school, be- 
cause, I regret to say, our young friend is not one 
of our most brilliant students.” 

“Brilliant student!” blurted out Eddie Sweet 
at this point, “Pep Pindar is the biggest dunce in 
the whole town. All he cares about is playing 
ball. He’d never got through school at all if it 
hadn’t been for Tick Wood and Pink Hopper 
always helping him out.” 

“Oh, you shut up now. Sweetie,” threatened 
Pep, turning towards him, “or I’ll give you a good 
punch in the eye.” 

“Don’t you dare touch me,” squawked Sweetie, 
backing away. “I ain’t done nothing to you and 
you busted my best hat ail to pieces and you’ve 
got to pay for it, too.” 

“Hold on there, boys!” exclaimed Pop, “don’t 
start any more rows until we’ve settled this one.” 
Turning to the stranger, he explained: 

“You see, young Pindar here takes a lot more 
interest in playing ball than he does in attending 
to his books. He is a top-notcher in ball playing 
but a tail-ender when it comes to study.” 


A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER 


25 


“But why is he so anxious to get into Wingate 
Academy then,** asked the stranger, “if he doesn*t 
like to study?** 

“Oh, he hopes that he can manage to study 
enough to keep in Wingate,*’ replied Pop, “but 
he figures that he will have a chance to do a lot 
more ball playing there.” 

“I can see for myself,” continued the stranger, 
“that he is some ball player. Why, that hit over 
the meeting-house sheds must be about as long a 
drive as any made by some of our big league 
swatters.” 

“Yes,” said the preacher, as he sized up the 
distance, “I should judge this hit must have been 
as long a distance as from the home plate to the 
back bleachers on the Polo Grounds.” 

“Are you interested in ball playing?” inquired 
the stranger. “You seem to be rather familiar, 
for a parson, with baseball affairs.” 

“In my college days I pitched for Amherst,” 
said the preacher with some pride, “and I have al- 
ways regarded baseball as one of the most manly 
and healthful sports, and, of course, I do all I can 
to encourage the game among our boys.” 

“Sure, the Dominie usually is the ‘ump’ for 
most of our games,” put in Pink. 


26 


^‘THE HOME-RUN KING” 


At this point, the stranger, reaching into his 
pockets, withdrew a roll of bills that made the 
boys’ eyes fairly bulge out with astonishment at 
its size. Stepping over to the preacher, he peeled 
off a couple of yellow-backs and handed them to 
him, remarking: 

“Why not let me in on this and fix if up without 
any further trouble? Parson, suppose you take 
this money and have the window fixed up and then, 
surely, Mr. Pindar won’t have anything to kick 
about. While I must confess that usually I am 
a little more interested in baseball than I am in 
religious matters, yet I certainly am mighty glad 
to have a chance to give a boost for any church 
whose preacher is a baseball fan.” 

The preacher, in astonishment, took the money 
mechanically; then thrust it back towards the 
stranger, saying: 

“No, I don’t think it would be quite right to 
let you do this. Besides I am sure that two hun- 
dred dollars is more than would be required to 
repair the damages, because, in a window of this 
kind, all of the parts that are not broken can be 
used in making the repairs. This is too much to 
accept from a perfect stranger although your offer 
is wonderfully generous.” 


A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER 27 

“That’s all right, parson,” said the stranger, 
making a motion for him to keep the money. 
“The amount won’t make or break me and I sup- 
pose I might as well admit that I have often spent 
bigger sums for a less worthy object. You keep 
the two hundred and if there is anything left over 
you can put it in your collection box. While I 
can’t say that I know the rules of churches as 
much as I ought to, yet I have always heard it re- 
ported that it was rather unusual for preachers to 
refuse money, and I can give you my assurance 
that this is good, honestly earned cash. It’s none 
of that ‘tainted money’ that newspapers have told 
so much about.” 

In the meanwhile Pop had been staring very in- 
tently at the stranger’s face and he suddenly ex- 
claimed : 

“Say, mister. I’ve seen your face somewheres 
and now I place you. You’re ” 

“Not so loud about that, if you don’t mind,” 
interrupted the stranger. “I have a certain reason 
of my own why I would just as soon you don’t 
make any guess, out loud, as to who I am.” Then, 
as a second thought occurred to him, he contin- 
ued, “But if you think you know who I am, you 
might assure the parson that it will be all right for 


28 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


him to accept my little contribution and that I can 
easily afford it.” 

“You surely can take it all right, parson,” Pop 
urged. “This man won’t miss a couple hundred 
bucks as much as you and I might a couple dol- 
lars.” 

The preacher hesitated and then said, “Very 
well, then, of course I’ll make no further objec- 
tions if that is the way the matter stands. But it 
surely is a generous deed and if there is some way 
that we could show our appreciation of the 
way ” 

“That’s all right,” interrupted the stranger 
with a smile, “I’ll tell you what you can do. You 
give that ball to me as a souvenir and let the 
young fellow who made the big home-run hit put 
his name and address and the date on it and I’ll 
take it back home to add to my curio collection. I 
am quite a bug about collecting trophies,” said he, 
turning with a sort of knowing wink to Pop, who, 
returning the smile, remarked, “I’ll say you’re 
some trophy collector.” The preacher handed the 
ball to Pep, also a fountain pen which he took 
from his vest pocket, and Pep carefully inscribed 
his name and address upon the leather. Taking 


A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER 29 

the ball the stranger turned away towards Pop’s 
garage. 

Meantime the rest of the party had been lis- 
tening, in too great astonishment to make any 
comment, but, as the stranger and Pop started 
back towards the garage, Eddie Sweet suddenly 
came to life and yelled out: 

“How about the two sixty-five for my busted 
hat? Does that come out of the money you’ve 
given to the preacher?” 

Turning swiftly on his heel the stranger stared 
at Eddie rather contemptuously. 

“No, young man,” he said, “you’ll have to col- 
lect your own damages. I want to make it a 
clause of my contribution that no part of it is to 
go to pay for the damages to your hat.” And he 
and Pop continued on their way to the garage. 

“Then you’ve got to pay for it yourself, Pep 
Pindar, or I’ll— ” 

“You’ll what?” challenged Pep belligerently,, 
while the ladies of the choir, especially Miss 
Bronson, looked at Eddie with open sympathy and 
regarded Pep with anything but admiration. 

“It’s a perfect shame,” exclaimed Miss Bron- 
son. “He certainly ought to pay for Eddie’s hat 


30 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


and I don’t think that man was very Christian- 
like even if he was so free with his money, or else 
he would let part of it go to buy Eddie a new hat. 
What would two sixty-five amount to out of two 
hundred dollars?” 

“I am terribly sorry, Miss Bronson,” put in the 
preacher, “but, of course, we will have to follow 
the gentleman’s wishes with regard to his very 
generous gift. So I presume the boys will have to 
fix up some way of settling their differences. Any- 
way, I don’t think we ought to hold Paul entirely 
responsible in the matter.” 

“What’s that?” shouted Miss Bronson. “Of 
course, he’s to blame. Didn’t he hit the ball and 
didn’t the smash of the window scare me almost 
into a conniption fit? You don’t suppose I’d sat 
on Eddie’s hat if it wasn’t for that?” 

Meantime Pep and Eddie had been glaring 
rather threateningly at each other until Eddie 
finally decided, evidently, that this was not exactly 
the day for him to collect damages, so, with 
further threats that Pep Pindar was going to pay 
for that hat or else he would “fix” Pep Fmdar, 
he slunk away. 

The other boys, after spending some further 


A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER 31 

time discussing the exciting events and speculating 
as to who the generous stranger was, departed to 
their several homes, it being long past time for 
getting supper and doing the evening chores. 

As Pep mounted his bicycle and pedaled swiftly 
towards his home, which lay about a mile and a 
half west of the village, he pondered over the 
recent exciting events with mingled feeelings of 
pride and dismay. 

He could not help feeling a sense of keen 
gratification at the long drive he had made, be- 
cause, as his chum. Pink Hopper, had informed 
the stranger, his one absorbing ambition in life 
was to be able to hit a ball harder and drive it 
farther than any other player in the community 
had ever been able to do. So, naturally, he was 
delighted at having so far achieved his aim by his 
record-breaking hit over the church sheds. Yet 
the unexpected results of his long fly were still 
causing him considerable apprehension. 

While he hoped that the stranger’s settling for 
the damages would pacify his father for the acci- 
dent, yet he did not feel altogether certain regard- 
ing the outcome because his father had not yet defi- 
nitely given consent to Pep’s desire to attend Win- 


“THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


32 

gate Academy. Still it was sort of taken for 
granted that he was going all right, because his 
mother and his younger sister, Katy, both were 
enthusiastically in favor of his getting the best 
possible education. 

But Pep’s father, John Pindar, was one of the 
old school type of farmers who do not have any 
too much regard for book learning. By hard 
work, long hours and careful saving, Mr. Pindar 
had been able to buy one of the best farms in the 
county and while he was not exactly a “tight 
wad,” yet he had learned the value of money, 
having earned it by the sweat of his brow. There- 
fore, he took considerable pains to see that 
whenever he spent any money he got its full value 
in return. Waste was a serious crime in the eyes 
of Mr. Pindar. 

Doubtless, Pep inherited his distaste for study 
from his father, whom he greatly resembled in 
size and appearance. Mr. Pindar was a big, 
broad-shouldered, giant of a man, weighing over 
two hundred pounds and strong as an ox. Pep, 
at seventeen, was scarcely an inch shorter than his 
father and was almost as broad-shouldered and 
husky. In fact, Pep only lacked a few pounds of 


A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER 33 

registering two hundred on the scales, and it was 
all solid brawn, too. 

Pep’s poor record as a student, as Eddie Sweet 
had accused, was not due to his being a dunce or 
to any natural stupidity. On the contrary, he was 
a rather unusually intelligent youth, but had simply 
failed to take any particular interest in books or 
study. It was always the hardest sort of work 
for him to get his lessons and it was his custom to 
spend just as little time with his books as he pos- 
sibly could and still manage to hang on in school. 
Several times he had been held back a grade and 
he was now one of the oldest boys in the grad- 
uating class at East Wingate Union School. 

When Pep arrived home he found the family 
at the supper table. 

“Late again,” greeted his father grumblingly, 
“I suppose you’ve been hanging around with those 
baseball loafers all afternoon and evening while 
I had to do most of your chores for you. Ap- 
pears to me a boy of your age and size ought to 
begin to want to help a little around the place, 
’specially when you are thinking of going away to 
school and leave me to do all the hard work.” 

“Oh, pshaw. Dad!” burst forth Katy, Pep’s sis- 


34 


^THE HOME-RUN KING’’ 


ter, a very pretty girl of fourteen, “what’s the use 
of nagging Pep all the while just because he wants 
to go to school and get an education? I should 
think you would want him to be educated so he 
wouldn’t have to work so hard as you’ve had to.” 

“Education, nothing!” snorted Mr. Pindar, as 
Pep made his way to the kitchen sink to wash his 
face and hands. “All that boy is thinking about 
is ball playing. He don’t care anything more 
about getting an education than Rover does. 
Some scholar he is! The oldest boy in his class 
and I don’t know how many times the teachers 
have threatened to turn him out of school alto- 
gether because he didn’t get his lessons. So far as 
gettin’ a lot o’ learnin’ so he can take an easy job, 
I guess that hard work never hurt me or anybody 
else, for that matter.” 

Pep’s mother, who, as usual, was the peace- 
maker in all family squabbles, tried to turn the 
conversation by saying, “What kept you so late, 
sonny? Did you make any more home runs?” 

Unlike her husband, Mrs. Pindar was intensely 
interested in Pep’s baseball ability. Possibly, this 
was due to her mother’s pride in the one thing that 
Pep was doing that was gaining him credit and 


A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER 35 

honor. It seems to be a motherly trait, always to 
be proud of anything their sons do. Somewhere, 
it has been stated that the mother of the James 
boys was proud of their records as being the most 
expert robbers of their day, but this, probably, 
was a false report. However, there is no doubt 
that every true mother is bound to take pride in 
any unusual achievements of her only son. At his 
mother’s question. Pep smiled somewhat sheep- 
ishly. 

“Well, yes. Mother, I guess I did make a home 
run. The biggest one I ever hit but ” 

“Oh, gee! Is that so?” interrupted Katy, who 
was also enthusiastic over Pep’s baseball playing. 
“How far did you hit it?” 

“Clean over the meeting-house sheds and into 
the church window.” 

“What’s that?” shouted Mr. Pindar. “You’ve 
busted another window, have you ? I suppose I’ll 
have to pay another bill for damages.” 

“No, you won’t,” hastened Pep. “A big man 
came along with a great big touring car and when 
he heard my hit was such a big fly and broke the 
window, he came over and gave Parson Fletcher 
two hundred dollars to settle the damages, and 


36 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

the parson says the window only cost a hundred 
and thirty dollars in the first place and that it 
won’t cost anywheres near that to fix it up as good 
as new or better.” 

“For the land sakes!” ejaculated Mrs. Pindar. 
“Two hundred dollars, and a perfect stranger. 
Why, it must have been one of the Rockafellers or 
Goulds or Morgans or some of those other mil- 
lionaires.” 

“He wouldn’t let on who he was,” Pep ex- 
plained, “but I guess that Pop Murray recognized 
him. Anyway, he was mighty interested in base- 
ball and he had a roll of money in his pocket 
bigger’n your fist. So I guess he has got plenty 
of it.” 

As Pep and the family discussed the further de- 
tails of the exciting affairs of the afternoon, even 
Pep’s father seemed to be impressed that Pep had 
done something unusual, although the old gen- 
tleman was very careful to conceal from his son 
any feeling of admiration. 


CHAPTER III 


pep’s nine trounces the town team and 

THE TOWN BULLY NEARLY LICKS PEP 

On the following Sunday morning, after the 
chores were over and the family had just finished 
breakfast, It suddenly occurred to Pep that he 
would like to sidestep church and Sunday School 
that day. While not exactly a bashful boy, yet the 
one thing that Pep hated more than anything else 
was to have the folks make a fuss over him, and 
he felt pretty certain that If he attended church 
that morning there was pretty sure to be a lot of 
folks staring at him. The Pindar family were 
regular attendants at the Baptist Church. 

So fixing upon the first excuse that popped Into 
his mind, as he pushed his chair away from the 
table he began to rub his hand over his head and, 
turning to his mother, exclaimed: 

“Gosh, mother, I believe Pm getting one of 

37 


38 ‘‘THE HOME-RUN KING” 

your sick headaches. I don’t think I had better 
go to church to-day, because I might be awfully 
sick from the way I feel now.” 

His mother was immediately concerned and 
arose to put her hand upon his head and to take 
hold of his pulse and examine his tongue. But 
Father Pindar was not fooled. 

“Sick headache, your grandmother!” he exi- 
claimed. “A fellow that can put away a big dish 
of oatmeal, four fried eggs, two big pieces of 
ham, a heap of potatoes, about a dozen griddle 
cakes and two big glasses of milk, like you have, 
isn’t In any dying condition unless he has stuffed 
himself so full he is In danger of busting.” 

Pep was willing to grasp at any straw that might 
help him win his case. “Maybe that’s just the 
trouble. Dad. I guess maybe I did eat too much. 
I was pretty hungry this morning after the game 
yesterday and doing the chores. Maybe that’s 
what’s making my head ache.” 

His sister, Katy, was just as skeptical as her 
father and, moreover, she clearly saw through 
Pep’s camouflage. 

“Aw, pshaw, buddy, don’t be a goose. You 
just don’t want to go to church because you are 


PEP’S NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 39 

afraid folks are going to make you blush by look- 
ing at you and talking about your breaking the 
window yesterday. I don’t see what makes you so 
afraid of folks looking at you in a church when 
you seem to like to have them look at you when 
you are on the ball grounds.” 

“Aw, that’s different,” blurted Pep, taken un- 
awares. 

“It is, eh?” remarked his father. “Well, 
I guess you can manage to stand folks looking at 
you if the rest of us can and I don’t want to hear 
anything more about sick headaches. You stir 
your stumps and get on your best clothes and get 
ready for church.” 

Even Mrs. Pindar began to see through Pep’s 
scheme, so there was nothing further for him to 
do but to obey his father’s command. As he was 
putting on his best clothes he tried to think up 
other schemes and even wondered if he couldn’t 
figure out some way of doctoring up the flivver 
so it wouldn’t run. But he gave up that idea be- 
cause he realized that the family would fall back 
on the team of horses. 

He was pretty glum and silent as he drove the 
car into towm, but the family was unusually talka- 


40 


THE HOME-RUN KING’’ 


tive. Katy and his mother were discussing the 
broken window and what folks would think about 
it and who would be there and whether the 
preacher would mention it in his sermon. 

The Baptist Church, that day, had an unusually 
large congregation. Of course, the news of the 
events of the preceding day had scattered through- 
out the town and not only all the regulars of the 
Baptist congregation were in attendance, but many 
of the people deserted other congregations to 
visit the Baptist church that morning. 

The church auditorium was filled to overflow- 
ing and when the Pindar family walked into their 
pew, just as Pep anticipated, there was a buzz of 
excited whispers and everybody stared at him. 
Pep felt that all of the blood in his body was rush- 
ing to his face. But Mr. Pindar seemed to en- 
dure the publicity with stoical calmness, while Katy 
and Pep’s mother gave every evidence of enjoy- 
ing it, much to Pep’s disgust. 

Some boards and paper had been tacked over 
the broken window and the preacher in his ser- 
mon did not make any reference to the matter. 
But, when Eddie Sweet began to sing his tenor 
solo, if it had been a theater instead of a church, 


PEPS NINE AND THE TOWN .TEAM 41 

one could have said that “it brought down the 
house.” Eddie possessed a very good voice and 
was especially proud of his singing ability, but 
the snickers of the younger members of the con- 
gregation and the smiles of everyone were rather 
disconcerting. It is to Eddie’s credit, however, 
that he stuck it out and managed to finish the solo 
without breaking down. 

The pastor was the teacher of the Sunday 
School class to which Pep belonged, as well as 
quite a number of the other members of the nine. 
Cn this particular day, there was more discussion 
of baseball matters than there was of the Scripture 
lesson for the day. The main topic with which 
the boys were concerned was just how Pep’s father 
was going to act with regard to the situation. 
Was he going to allow Pep to go to Wingate? 
Finally several of the boys, including Pep, 
thought it might influence the decision in their 
favor if Mr. Fletcher would plead Pep’s cause 
with his father. 

So after Sunday School was dismissed, the 
preacher sought out Mr. Pindar and, after a few 
remarks regarding the famous window-smashing 
home run, remarked rather casually: 


42 


‘THE HOME-RUN KING” 


“Well, I suppose you have decided to let Paul 
attend Wingate Academy next year?” 

“Well, I dunno, parson,” replied Mr. Pindar. 
“I can’t say that I see much sense in my wasting 
money and the boy wasting his time when he 
don’t really care any more about getting an edu- 
cation than a dog would care about having two 
tails.” 

“But you must remember, Mr. Pindar, that 
boys’ ideas change. Perhaps Paul doesn’t yet 
fully appreciate the value that an education will 
be to him in later life. Yet, if he is willing to 
go to the Academy in order to gratify his desire 
to play baseball, in some way he may wake up to 
the advantages of education.” 

“Seems to me, parson, that I remember some- 
thing you preached in a sermon a while ago that 
sort of set me thinking on this line. I remember 
a little rhyme that you quoted that struck me 
very forcibly as good sound doctrine, although it 
wasn’t exactly Scripture. You said, 

“ ‘You can lead a horse to water 
But you can’t make him drink. 

You can send a fool to college 
But you can’t make him think.’ ” 


PEP’S NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 43 

“But surely, Mr. Pindar, you are not saying 
that Paul is a fool.’’ 

“Oh, no!” was the reply, “he’s bright enough 
in some ways, but he surely don’t show it in his 
studies. However, I have been thinking of a 
plan that I have pretty near decided to try out, 
that will let the boy decide for himself whether he 
goes to the Academy or not.” 

“What’s your plan?” asked the parson eagerly, 
while the boys, who were hovering in the back- 
ground, pretending to be intent on their own con- 
versation, but really with their ears strained to 
catch the talk between Mr. Pindar and the 
preacher, listened with unusual eagerness. 

“Well, here’s the idea,” explained Mr. Pindar. 
“All the while the boy has been going to school, 
I can’t think of a single time when he has done 
anything to bring credit to the family except his 
ball playing. Not that he has done anything very 
bad, but he hasn’t shown a bit of interest in his 
books or any of his school work, and his teachers 
have threatened to turn him out of school and 
have tried every way to get him to study. 

“So I have figured that what he needs most is 
some sort of what you call incentive, something to 


44 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


aim at that would make him get down and dig. 
So I had made up my mind to tell him that if he 
wins any kind of a merit, or honorable mention 
even, at the closing exercises this year, I will let 
him go on to Wingate Academy. But if he don’t 
win a single thing and don’t show any improve- 
ment at all, seems to me he ought to stay on the 
farm.” 

“Wow! Wow! said the fox,” whispered Pink 
Hopper as the boys overheard Mr. Pindar’s plan. 
“Some scheme. I’ll say. Well, Pep, old boy, I 
guess you’re up against it.” 

Pep replied dolefully, “Yes, It does look as 
though that cooked my goose, don’t it?” But as 
the boys drew away to discuss the situation, little 
Tick Wood was still hopeful. 

“Never say die,” said Tick. “It is a pretty stiff 
proposition, but I believe we can find a scheme to 
win out on it just the same.” 

Tick was, by far, the best student in East Win- 
gate and. In addition to being a bookworm, he 
was also a top-notch baseball fan. Next to Pop 
Murray, Tick was the best Informed regarding 
baseball matters of anybody In the community and 
this, despite the fact that he was only “a little 
runt” and was so near-sighted that he always had 


PEFS NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 45 

to wear very heavy glasses. Yet Tick was con- 
sidered sort of a member of the nine although he 
never could actually play the game. 

Pep, who was a few years his elder, was Tick’s 
great hero, and Pep looked upon Tick with almost 
equal awe and admiration because any fellow who 
could recite his lessons as glibly as Tick could do, 
who had so much knowledge and who had so 
many big words and information at his tongue’s 
end, seemed to Pep to be nothing short of a 
marvel. 

Pink Hopper, the third member of the trio of 
chums, was both a good ball player and a good 
student. He was the catcher and captain of the 
school nine and was well up towards the top in 
most of his classes in school. 

Both Tick and Pink were slated for Wingate 
Academy, as were several other members of the 
Union School graduating class. In fact, most of 
the students in East Wingate who didn’t quit 
school at graduation but attended other “prep” 
schools or college, were accustomed to go to Win- 
gate Academy, which was situated in the small city 
of Wingate about fifteen miles from East Win- 
gate In the western part of the county. 

There was an occasional student, however. 


46 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


among the wealthier families, who went to the 
Lakewood Military Academy, which was a rather 
fashionable boarding school for boys, located on 
Elk Lake, near the southern boundary of the 
county. 

As Lakewood drew students from all parts of 
the county and enjoyed the advantages of an un- 
usually well-equipped gymnasium, physical direc- 
tors, coaches and other equipment for athletic 
games, naturally Its football, baseball and basket- 
ball teams were frequently the champions among 
the schools of that section. 

Wingate Academy, on the other hand, was more 
democratic and drew most of its students from 
the nearby farms and villages, many of the boys 
boarding home and others, as In the case of East 
Wingate students, going home over the week ends. 
The only East Wingate boy, a member of the 
present class, who was planning to attend Lake- 
wood was Eddie Sweet, whose father, the pro- 
prietor of Sweet’s Emporium and General Store, 
was counted the richest man of the community. 

Eddie never had any time for athletics. He 
was a fair student, but his two main ambitions 
were to develop his musical talents, of which he 


PEP’S NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 47 

possessed considerable natural ability, and to be 
the best dresser among all the boys. Eddie’s 
ideas of dress, however, ran somewhat to the ex- 
treme both as to style and colors. He was an 
earnest student of the wholesale clothing cata- 
logues that came to his father’s store and also 
got a good many tips from the traveling salesmen 
for the ready-made clothing concerns who visited 
the town from time to time. 

As the boys discussed Mr. Pindar’s proposi- 
tion and cudgeled their brains for schemes 
whereby Pep might have a ghost of a show of 
winning the honor In school, most of them finally 
gave up hope, excepting Tick, who optimistically 
insisted that they were bound to find some way out 
of the difficulty. 

Finally Pink Hopper said, “Anyway, we can’t 
settle this now. Maybe something will turn up, 
but the next thing we have got to do Is to get 
ready to take our annual trimming from the home 
team.” 

“Trimming, nothing!” put In Tick with disgust. 
“You make me tired. You fellows think you are 
licked before you begin simply because the town 
team has most always had the best of it in the 


48 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


past. You know weVe got a better team than 
ever this year and there’s no reason on earth why, 
if you fellows only use your brains and play 
harder than ever, you couldn’t win the game.” 

“Gee, Tick, if you only had as much muscle as 
you have brains and as much ball playing ability 
as you have ambition, with you on the team, we 
could wallop the stuffing out of the town boys,” 
exclaimed Pink admiringly. Then, turning to Pep, 
“Anyway, Pep, get your dad to let you stay in 
town and take dinner with our folks to-day and 
after dinner the bunch of us will go over and have 
a talk with Pop Murray and he may have some 
new ideas to give us. It surely would be great If, 
as Tick says, we could win that game, and it would 
put you and me In right when we get to Wingate 
— that is, if you do get a chance to go.” 

“Oh, piffle I” growled Tick. “Your croaking 
gives me a pain. Of course he’s going to Win- 
gate.” 

“Well, Tickle, old sport, I wish I felt as hope- 
ful as you do about It,” remarked Pep, as he went 
to ask his father If he could accept Pink’s Invita- 
tion. 

Mr. Pindar, evidently, was feeling In a rather 


PEP’S NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 49 

cheerful mood on account of what he considered 
his clever scheme. With less than his usual 
grumbling, he gave his consent. 

Most of the members of the ball team gathered 
at Pop Murray’s garage that afternoon about two 
o’clock. The great topic of discussion was the 
possibility of some plan for their making a “good 
showing” in the game against the town team. 
Owing to the fact that the boys who played on the 
town team were considerably heavier than the 
school boys — since the East Wingate Union 
School was rather a small institution — in former 
years the games had been mostly one-sided, the 
town team invariably being the victor. 

To the surprise of the boys Pop Murray seemed 
to side fully with the view held by little Tick 
Wood. Said Pop: 

“Now boys, if you have all made up your minds 
that you are going to be licked, there ain’t much 
use of playing the game, because you are beaten 
before you begin. What you fellows need most 
of all is to find out that there is something else 
besides muscle and age and even experience that 
wins baseball games. That something is brains. 
It ain’t always the heaviest team or even the team 


50 


THE HOME-RUN KING^ 


with the best players that wins the pennant. It’s 
the team that has the brainiest manager and, most 
of all, the team that works together and knows the 
most about the ‘inside stuff.’ 

“Now, I’ve been thinking a lot about this game 
that is coming off in a few weeks and I have been 
watching both the town boys and you fellows play 
quite a bit, and I have finally made up my mind 
that the school team not only has a chance but it 
has almost a sure thing if you will only play the 
game together and carry out a little scheme that I 
am going to tell you about.” 

Here was something decidedly surprising to the 
boys. The optimism of Tick Wood didn’t make 
any deep impression on them, although it was en- 
couraging; but when an old baseball player like 
Pop Murray told them, with evident sincerity, that 
he believed they were going to win, it aroused the 
hopes of the boys most powerfully. And after 
Pop had outlined his plans and the whole proposi- 
tion had been discussed in all its details, the team 
that went home that night from Pop’s garage was, 
so far as their attitude towards the coming game 
was concerned, an entirely different team. In 
some way or other every member of the nine was 


PEP’S NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 51 

filled with optimism and confidence. Pink, Tick 
and Pep and every other player really believed 
that the plan that Pop had explained to them was 
going to prove a winner for them. 

The chief weakness of their team was in bat- 
ting. The school boys were even better at team 
W'ork, and in their general playing abilities they 
averaged at least equal to the town team. But the 
town boys were the heaviest and best hitters and 
it is the hits that win ball games, providing other 
things are fairly equal. 

Altogether, there were only three first-rate hit- 
ters on the school team, namely. Pep, who was not 
only the star batsman of the school but was prob- 
ably the best hitter in the community; Pink, who 
was more than a fair batter, and Andy Conklin, 
the third baseman, who could be relied upon to do 
pretty good work with the stick. The rest were 
just the average school boy sort of batters and a 
few might be called even below the average. 

On the other hand, in addition to having a num- 
ber of good men with the stick, the town team had 
what they considered a star player as a captain 
and pitcher for their team. Jake Snyder consid- 
ered himself a professional ball player because 


52 


‘THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


one season he had drawn a salary as a member of 
the Union Stars In the city of Wingate. 

Jake was a husky, good-looking fellow, whose 
estimation of himself was several notches higher 
than any other member of the community held re- 
garding him. He was not overly fond of work 
and was always losing a job because, very fre- 
quently, his ideas of how the business In which he 
was employed should be conducted didn’t exactly 
harmonize with that of his boss. 

Another of his qualities on which Jake prided 
himself was his fistic ability. At one time he not 
only had a verbal dispute with his employer but 
Jake had finally emphasized his opinions with his 
fists. A case of assault and battery was threat- 
ened, but blew over. Jake had also had numer- 
ous other fistic encounters In the community. In 
fact his reputation in East Wingate was much be- 
low par, although he aspired to the honor of try- 
ing to win the heart and hand of the leading heir- 
ess of the town, Eddie Sweet’s sister, Clara. 

Clara, the object of Jake’s adorations, did not 
give him any encouragement and her parents were 
distinctly in opposition, yet Jake had one faithful 
ally in Eddie. Eddie was not so much impressed 


PEP’S NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 53 

with Jake’s prowess on the ball field as he was by 
the fact that, next to Eddie’s own self, Jake was 
the swellest dresser in the community. Jake had 
traveled about quite a bit and had an air of wear- 
ing his clothes that was distinctly metropolitan in 
Eddie’s eyes. 

After the conference at Pop’s garage, there was 
a noticeable change in the training tactics of the 
school team. Heretofore they had spent as much 
time as possible on the regular ball field. But 
now, instead of occupying the ball field after school 
and on all other possible occasions, groups of the 
team would ride out to the Pindar farm. The ex- 
cuse given was that, in order to win favor with his 
father and so increase his chances for going to 
Wingate, Pep was putting in some unusually heavy 
licks in the spring planting and the team was help- 
ing to save his time by going out to play in the 
Pindar pasture lot instead of Pep remaining in 
town to play on the regular field. 

This excuse seemed so plausible that no one sus- 
pected the real reason for the change in tactics. 
In fact, the scheme that had been cooked up in 
Pop Murray’s garage was not disclosed until the 
day of the big game. 


54 


THE HOME-RUN KING’’ 


The annual game between the school nine and 
the town boys was far and away the big athletic 
event of the year in East Wingate. Every spring, 
school was let out for several days in order that 
the country school teachers in that section of the 
county could come in and hold several days’ ses- 
sions for study and social enjoyment in what was 
termed the Teacher’s Institute. The baseball 
game was a part of the program for entertaining 
the visiting schoolma’ams and always attracted by 
far the largest crowd of any of the outdoor ath- 
letic events. 

Even Father Pindar was persuaded to take a 
day off and attend the big game, by the constant 
coaxing of his daughter, Katy, who really thought 
that if he saw Pep’s brilliant part in the game he 
might relent of his decision with regard to Pep’s 
winning educational honor before he could enter 
Wingate Academy. 

The town team, although known as the town 
boys, was composed largely of young men, who 
naturally were strongly desirous of appearing at 
their best before the assembled crowd of pretty 
schoolma’ams. 

The rooters were about evenly divided in point 


PEP’S NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 55 

of numbers, but the school boys naturally had con- 
siderably the best of It in the matter of noise. 
Most of the school teachers were rooting for the 
town boys, but, of course, all of the boys who at- 
tended the school were grouped together just out- 
side the running line between home and first base. 
But the older people were not so vigorous In their 
applause and the schoolma’ams, even though they 
outnumbered the boys, were not able to compete 
with them In the volume of noise. 

The Reverend Mr. Fletcher was selected as the 
umpire, as usual, and the town boys won the toss- 
up and chose to take the field In the first Inning. 

As Jake Snyder took the mound and received 
the shiny new ball, he presented a picture of com- 
plete confidence. In fact, all the members of the 
town team felt certain that there was no doubt as 
to their winning, the only question being as to how 
big the score would be. 

The first boy up to bat for the school gave Jake 
the first of a series of surprises. Jake had deter- 
mined to start the fireworks with the first ball 
over. Therefore he put extraordinary effort Into 
his wonderful wind-up and the very first ball he 
shot across was one of his celebrated cannon-ball 


THE HOME-RUN KING’’ 


56 

shoots. Of course he had no possible idea that the 
young fellow would connect with this, but Jake was 
mistaken. Instead of giving a hard swing and 
trying to knock the cover off the ball, the player 
simply reached out with his bat and let down 
about as neat a bunt as could be made by a profes- 
sional batter. 

Of course, the perfectness of the bunt was 
largely accidental, but its effect was entirely satis- 
factory to the school boys. Jake, although strong 
and powerful, was not especially active, and as the 
ball came rolling slowly down towards him he 
scrambled for it and made a fumble. Then as he 
shot it to first base it went wild over the head of 
the first baseman. Before it could be retrieved, 
the player was safely on second. 

The next player came to bat and Jake again es- 
sayed his famous shoot, this time without the 
wind-up. But, being somewhat disconcerted by 
the lack of his first effort, he could not find the 
plate for his first three balls and the batter, evi- 
dently being advised by some secret signal from 
Pink, who was on the coaching line, waited it out 
and won a pass. 

The third batter up also bunted the first ball 


PEFS NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 57 

across the plate and, although this was not so suc- 
cessful, the runner on second advanced to third 
and the batter reached first, but the ball reached 
second in time to nail the base runner from first 
and thus make the first put out. 

Pink, the captain, was the fourth batter up. 
He waited out the first one and got a strike called 
on him, but enabled the player on first base to 
steal second. The next ball he reached for a two- 
base hit, which brought in the two runners. 

Next to bat came Jimmie Coombs, the short- 
stop, and he promptly laid down another bunt, 
which was again successful in getting himself to 
first and Pink to third. 

The sixth batter also bunted, but this time it was 
not with so good success and the ball rolled right 
into the first baseman’s hand. However, the first 
baseman attempted to double and catch Jim on his 
way to second and Jim slipped back to first, but 
Pink raced home from third and safely scored. 

Pep was the next batter up and the yelling that 
greeted him was enough to try the nerves of any- 
one but a baseball player to whom yells of encour- 
agement are the greatest stimulus to cool playing. 

“Bust another window. Pep!” 


58 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


“Give it the old over-the-shed wallop, old boy I” 

“Knock the cover off the ball!” were some of 
the calls that came to Pep’s ears as he calmly 
grasped his bat and determined to continue the 
fireworks which were already blazing so thor- 
oughly. 

Jake was evidently as fully determined to stop 
the fireworks, and the first two balls that he put 
across were wide but fairly burned into the glove 
of the catcher. Then came a good one and Pep 
caught it just right. It did not go over the sheds, 
but it reached them and tallied his first home run 
for the game. 

The next player up tried to bunt and was nailed 
at first, and so the first half of the inning ended 
with five tallies. 

The town boys’ half of the inning was short 
but not sweet to them. Each of the first three 
players was caught out on a fly and so the inning 
ended with a score of 5-0. 

As the game progressed the secret of what had 
been happening when the boys were going out to 
play in Pindar’s pasture became thoroughly dis- 
closed. Pep and Pink, with occasional assistance 
by Pop Murray, had been coaching the boys in the 


PEP’S NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 59 

art of bunting. While, of course, they were by 
no means made perfect in this short period of 
training yet they made sufficient progress so that 
very few of them were struck out. The batting 
order had been arranged so there would be a 
group of hunters and then would come Pink who 
would try to put across a safe hit, then another 
group of hunters and then Pep. 

Without attempting to describe the game in de- 
tail, the score at the end of the eighth inning was 
1 1 to 9, in favor of the town boys. The defensive 
work of the boys in the field was not quite strong 
enough to prevent the town boys from scoring 
rather freely, but the encouragement of the big 
start gained in the first inning and the consequent 
demoralization of the town nine helped a whole 
lot. While they continued their bunting tactics 
throughout the game, of course, as the game pro- 
gressed, the town boys became more adept at field- 
ing the bunts. 

But it was some task for Jake Snyder, who, 
though strong, never made any effort at keeping 
himself in condition. With six boys bunting con- 
stantly throughout a game the pitcher has some 
hopping around to do. So, when the ninth inning 


6o 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


opened and the bunting continued, this time more 
successfully than ever, Jake had nearly reached the 
limit of endurance. 

To say that he was thoroughly mad Is putting It 
mildly. He was almost beside himself with pent- 
up rage, particularly when the first three boys up 
to bat, by their bunting tactics, succeeded In get- 
ting on bases. Pep was the next man up. Al- 
ready, Pep had made two home runs and a three- 
bagger. 

Although mad to the core, Jake still possessed 
a remnant of baseball Intuition and he suddenly 
decided to take no chances. The first delivery was 
a ball, the second was a ball, the third was also a 
ball and just then Pep woke up to what was hap- 
pening. In an Instant he realized that Jake was 
giving him a free pass, even though Jake realized 
that It would force In a run. 

But when the fourth ball came through. Pep had 
laid counter-plans to upset Jake’s scheme. Jake 
was not attempting to put much speed or curve 
Into the ball, therefore as Pep reached out across 
the plate and connected with a wide one he cleaned 
the bases and made his third home-run hit for the 
day. 


PEP’S NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 6i 


As the reporters say, pandemonium broke loose. 
The school boys along the side lines were jumping 
and yelling like wild Indians. Of course, as is 
usual in games between two local teams, there had 
been more or less scrapping throughout the day 
and some of the comment made by the spectators 
was rather rude, to say the least. During the 
game Jake had made a blunder which brought a 
remark from a spectator that “Jake Snyder didn’t 
have enough brains to give himself a headache.” 

This incident gave an inspiration to one of the 
smaller boys who was poetically inclined and he 
evolved a poem or yell which, after whispering 
together, the crowd of school boys proceeded to 
chant. 

“Jake I Jake I Bonehead Jake ! 

Hasn’t any brains, so his head can’t ache I” 

As the spectators were laughing at the antics of 
the boys, all at once Jake seemed to see red. The 
ball from Pep’s homer had been returned and 
Jake stood holding it in rather a dazed fashion. 
But, as the chant of the boys came to his ears, sud- 
denly he let forth a yell, and saying, “Take that. 


62 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


you little imps!” he flung the ball straight at the 
group of dancing and yelling youngsters. If the 
ball had ever hit one of the boys there is no tell- 
ing what would have happened; but fortunately 
both for Jake and the boy who might have been 
struck by the ball, Pep, after crossing the home 
plate, was standing near the group of boys. With 
a jump, he just managed to catch the swift ball in 
his bare right hand. 

The cowardliness of Jake’s deed and the sting 
of the ball was enough to stir Pep beyond the lim- 
its of his usual self-control. Dropping the ball, 
he started towards the big pitcher shouting: 

“You dirty, sneaking coward!” 

In his present frame of mind, nothing was so 
pleasing to Jake as the prospects of a good battle, 
and with a few choice words he rushed to meet 
Pep. But, quick as they both were, the umpire 
was quicker. Rushing between the two angry 
players, he shouted: 

“Paul, go back to the bench 1” 

The preacher’s tones were sufficiently decisive 
to cause Pep to take a second thought, so that he 
slowly obeyed. But not so with Jake. He came 
rushing on and tried to pass the preacher. 


PEP’S NINE AND THE TOWN TEAM 63 

“Get out of this! I am going to knock that 
young fellow’s block off.” 

At this point, from among the spectators, piped 
up Eddie Sweet’s voice. “Give him one for me, 
Jake. He busted my straw hat.” 

The preacher, however, did not hesitate, but 
said, “As for you, Jake Snyder, you are not going 
to fight and you are going to leave these grounds 
immediately.” 

At this, Jake no longer gave his attention to 
Pep, but turned to the preacher. “I am, eh?” he 
sneered. “Who’s going to make me?” 

“If you know what is healthy for you, you will 
leave these grounds within two minutes and if you 
are wise you will also leave the town. Instead of 
wanting to fight with young Pindar, you ought to 
thank him, because the chances are he has kept you 
out of the penitentiary.” 

But Jake was not to be pacified. He must have 
a fight with someone and even a preacher was 
better than nothing, so, with an angry sneer, he 
yelled, “Git out of my way!” and, at the same 
time, made a pass at the preacher. 

It was not a thunderbolt that struck Jake’s jaw, 
but to him it had about the same effect. Pastor 


“THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


64 

Fletcher was known to be a pretty good all-round 
athlete and boxing was one of the arts which he 
had studied quite successfully. Quickly sidestep- 
ping Jake’s lunge, the preacher had planted his 
fist at the point of Jake’s jaw with just sufficient 
force to take all of the fighting spirit out of the 
big bully. 

As Jake slowly arose to his feet he said, “I don’t 
want to fight with any preacher,” and, amid the 
hoots and jeers of the spectators, he slunk off the 
field. The next day, it was found that he had 
also taken the preacher’s further advice and had 
moved, bag and baggage, to the city of Wingate. 

The remainder of the game was rather tame. 
Pep’s third home run proved sufficient to win the 
game, as, in their half of the ninth, the town team 
was only able to secure another run, making the 
final score 15-12 in favor of the school boys. 


CHAPTER IV 


IN ORDER TO GET A CHANCE TO PLAY BALL, PEP 
SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 

On the Saturday evening a few days after the 
big game, most of the boys were again gathered 
in the back room of Pop Murray’s garage, hold- 
ing a sort of impromptu celebration of the victory. 
The boys had chipped in to provide the material 
for a little “feed” and, while a big kettle of cocoa 
was being prepared on the little stove in the cor- 
ner of the room, they were reviewing the various 
incidents of their big game. 

“That game surely ought to cinch us for a place 
on the team at Wingate Academy,” Pink re- 
marked. “Did you see the big account of the game 
in the East Wingate items of the JVingate Her- 

aur 

“Yes, it surely ought to get you z. place on the 

65 


66 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


team, all right,” Pep replied, “but I guess there’s 
not much chance of my going.” 

“For the love of Pete! You don’t mean to 
say that your father saw you do all that star play- 
ing and still refuses to give you a chance? I 
thought it was Katy’s idea to get him to go to the 
game and then coax him to let you go on to Win- 
gate if you made good.” 

“Yes, that was Katy’s idea, but it doesn’t hap- 
pen to be dad’s. His idea of making good doesn’t 
mean making good in baseball. Doggone it, I 
wonder if he ever played anything when he was a 
boy?” grumbled Pep. “Anyway, it hasn’t loosened 
him up a bit and he still sticks to the old gag that 
I have got to win some honors in school or else 
I’ll have to give up the idea of going to Wingate.” 

“Gee, but that surely does make it pretty tough, 
don’t it?” said Andy Conklin, sympathetically. 
“There’s less than a month now before school 
closes and I suppose you are too far behind to 
have any chance of catching up now. How about 
going in for the Phillips prize in history? Can’t 
you write a pretty good two-thousand-word essay, 
getting some of the rest of us to help out a bit 
on it?” 


PEP SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 67 

“Yes, I might do that all right, but when old 
man Phillips arranged for that prize he left a 
rule that every fellow who tried for it had to have 
an eighty-five per cent standing in history through- 
out the term,” was Pep’s reply. 

“Doggone it, wouldn’t it make a cat sick?” said 
Pink. “It’s going to take all the fun out of going 
to Wingate if we can’t have you along with us, 
Pep. Why, with you and me on the team next 
year we would trounce the daylights out of Lake- 
wood. I suppose you saw by the papers that Lake- 
wood won two games out of three this year.” 

Just at this moment Tick Wood came noisily 
into the room. 

“Hello, you gang of rough-neck rowdies !” was 
the greeting he used, it being suggested by a re- 
mark that Miss Bronson had been overheard to 
make during the fracas on the ball field. “What’s 
the big idea of all this gloom? You look as 
though you were getting ready for a funeral, in- 
stead of celebrating the greatest victory that East 
Wingate school ever won on the green diamond. 
Why, you look like a bunch of grave-diggers in- 
stead of the famous East Wingate Champions.” 

“Oh, cut out the chatter. Tick,” said Pink. “I 


68 


“THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


guess you would feel blue, too, if you had made 
the record that Pep made in the big game and 
then found out that it wasn’t going to get him any- 
thing. His father still says that Pep can’t enter 
Wingate Academy unless he wins some honor in 
school.” 

“So that’s all you are worrying about, is it? 
Well, you poor prunes, haven’t I told you all 
along that I was going to fix that? Why, I came 
over to-night with the honor for Pep right here 
in my pocket — almost. What’s the idea of your 
doubting my ability as a prophet? Didn’t you 
know that I am the seventh son of a seventh son? 
Wasn’t I the first one that told you we were going 
to win the big game? Cheer up! I’ve got it all 
figured out so Pep’s winning that honor is going to 
be as easy as falling off a log. All you’ve got to 
do Pep, old top, is to make a little speech.” 

“What?” shouted Pep. “Is that all I’ve got 
to do ? Why, you poor little fish, I couldn’t make 
a speech to save my neck.” 

“Oh, yes, you can,” said Tick confidently, 
“when I tell you all about it and show you just 
how to do it.” 

“Well, go on and give us the big idea,” said 


PEP SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 69 

Pink. “What’s it all about? What do you mean? 
Do you really think Pep has a chance?” 

“A chance I” fairly shouted Tick. “Why, didn’t 
I just tell you that he has just the same as got that 
honor pinned on his chest right now?” 

“Well, what’s the use of all this talking? Go 
on and tell us what you’ve got in your crazy bean,” 
said Andy Conklin. 

“Well, of course, you all know that one of the 
most brilliant events in the affairs of our well- 
known temple of learning, the East Wingate 
Union School, is the Annual Prize Speaking Con- 
test. As you all know, every year, two hand- 
somely cloth-bound books, with gilt edges and 
everything, are given as prizes, one for the girl 
and one for the boy who makes the best recita- 
tion. And when Pep makes the best recitation 
and wins the prize, isn’t that a school prize and 
won’t his father have to make good on his prom- 
ise ? You bet he will !” 

“But,” protested Pep, “I can’t speak a piece for 
sour apples." Besides, even if I should try there’s 
a dozen fellows in school that could beat me all 
hollow at speaking.” 

“That’s all right, my wwbrilliant friend,” said 


70 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


Tick, waving his hand grandiloquently, “but, in 
this case, our dozen brilliant orators will be un- 
able to appear. Take Pink for instance. Of 
course. Pink is some eloquent spouter, but Pink 
has already captured enough honors to satisfy an 
ordinary mortal and he is going to be so busy with 
other work in school that he can’t possibly take 
part in the speaking contest.” 

“Fm beginning to get you,” said Pink excitedly, 
“and I really believe. Tick, that you’ve struck a 
scheme that will work. You mean that we’ll get 
all the fellows but Pep to stay out of the speaking 
contest so that he will have a walkover?” 

“No, that wouldn’t do exactly,” said Tick. “A 
deal like that would be too raw, but, fortunately, 
within the realm of our beautiful burg, there are 
fellows who are even worse speakers than Pep. 
Take Andy here, for instance.” 

“Here, cut that idea right out. I ain’t never 
made a speech and I ain’t goin’ to start,” put in 
Andy. 

“Oh, yes, you are, my boy,” said Tick confi- 
dently. “You are going to be a martyr to the 
cause. It is not going to hurt you any more to 
make a speech than it will Pep.” 


PEP SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 71 

“Why, Pd rather be licked than to get up there 
and make a speech before all the folks in the 
town,” said Andy. 

“Do you mean to tell me that you haven’t any 
loyalty for our famous swatter here, after all he 
did for you in winning the big ball game?” Tick 
seemed highly indignant. 

“Well, I suppose if it is going to help Pep any 
in getting to Wingate, I guess I’ll have to do it,” 
admitted Andy. 

“Now you’re talking, son,” said Tick. “The 
whole idea is to pick out a couple more fellows 
like you who, we are dead certain, are going to be 
even poorer speakers than Pep, and then all the 
brilliant orators, like myself and Pink, will stay 
on the side lines and watch Pep win in a walk.” 

“Well, we’ll have to say you are some brilliant 
little orator,” admitted Pink, “and I, for one, 
think your scheme is a dandy.” 

“Sure,” said Andy, “and now that we’ve settled 
that small detail, let’s go on with our celebration. 
‘Haste thee, nymph, and bring with thee jest and 
youthful jollity,’ as my old friend, John Milton, 
was wont to remark, which, being interpreted for 
you lowbrows, means, ‘bring on the good eats, 


72 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


crack a few jokes and let’s make the welkin ring 
with mirth and song.’ ” 

There was no hitch in Tick’s plan, so far as 
getting the fairly good speakers not to enter the 
prize contest; but he did have to use quite a bit 
of persuading to get enough of the poorer speak- 
ers to enroll so that the teachers and others would 
not suspect that it was a put-up job. 

A few days after the celebration, however, Tick 
met Pink and Pep walking on the street, with a 
rather serious bit of news. 

“Say, fellows,” he greeted them, “what do you 
suppose that shrimp of an Eddie Sweet is doing? 
He’s trying to throw a monkey wrench in our 
scheme. He’s entering the speaking competition 
and he says he is going to win it, if it takes a hind 
leg, because he’s mad at Pep Pindar and he would 
do anything to get the best of him. Now, while 
Eddie is not an elocutionary star, yet he is a shark 
at memorizing things and I’ll bet he’ll pick out a 
piece that will put it over the one you’ve picked 
out — ‘Casey at the Bat.’ 

“Still,” Tick continued, “we’ll beat him at that 
if Pink stays right by you and keeps drilling you 
at it all the while. Don’t you get scared and if 


PEP SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 73 

you only catch the spirit of the thing I believe we’ll 
win.” 

“Of course, we’ll win,” said Pink. “It’s a 
cinch.” 

“It’s no cinch,” said Pep, “but just the same I 
feel better since Eddie’s coming into it than I did 
before.” 

“What do you mean, feel better?” 

“Well, I dunno exactly, but it seemed too much 
like stealing candy from a blind baby the way we 
had the thing planned. But now that Eddie is 
in it, it makes it more like a real game.” 

“Say, there’s something in that,” said Tick. “I 
believe that’s going to be the very thing that will 
make you put the snap in your speech that has 
been so woefully lacking heretofore.” 

At this point Andy Conklin and a couple of 
other fellows came up. Tick outlined the situa- 
tion. Andy Conklin had another idea to suggest. 

“I’ve got a scheme,” said Andy. “One of us 
will pick a fuss with Sweetie and get him in a scrap 
and give him a black eye. Then he will be too 
proud to appear before the public.” 

“That’s a good idea,” said both of the other 
boys. “Let me pick a fuss with him.” 


74 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


“Nothing doing on that line,” objected Pep 
promptly. “I’m going to win this fight fairly, or 
we’ll lose it To tell the truth, fellows, I have 
been feeling sort o’ sneaking mean because of our 
trying to work that put-up job all along.” 

“Well, if you feel you are really going to win 
it. Pep, I believe you will,” encouraged Tick. 

The days following, up to the time of the prize 
speaking contest, were days of mingled misery, 
desperation and hope for Pep. The Baptist 
preacher was helping coach him in his recitation 
and Pink was also acting as a drill-master. Pink 
was so determined that there was going to be no 
slip up on Pep’s getting to Wingate that he fairly 
haunted Pep and kept him repeating his recitation 
until Pep felt that he could say it backwards and 
acrossways almost as easily as in its regular order. 

But the reports were that Eddie was making 
splendid progress under the coaching of Miss 
Bronson, who was not only a teacher of music but 
also gave private lessons in elocution. In fact, the 
speaking contest was largely due to Miss Bron- 
son’s efforts and each year she donated the two 
books that were awarded as prizes. 

The Public Speaking Prize Contest always drew 


PEP SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 75 

a big crowd, but, as it became noised about that 
Pep Pindar, the star baseball player of the town, 
was going to be one of the leading speakers, not 
only the people in the town but the people on the 
farms for miles around flocked into the village on 
the evening of the event. 

About the only person in town who was unable 
to attend was Pop Murray. It almost broke his 
heart, but, unfortunately, the attack of fever which 
had compelled Pop to quit the ball field had left 
him in a condition where, occasionally, if he caught 
cold, he would have a severe recurrence of chills 
and ague. One of these periodic attacks confined 
him to his home over the garage on the night of 
the grand occasion. 

Pop was not seriously ill but still was confined 
to his bed, so late that night, just as soon as the 
speaking competition was over. Pep and Pink 
came to visit him and tell him the news. 

“Well, laddies, I see by your faces that you’ve 
won, all right,” Pop greeted them. 

“We surely did,” said Pink. “It wasn’t exactly 
a walkover but we brought home the bacon, just 
the same. Show him your prize book. Pep.” 

And at this. Pep sheepishly produced a book 


‘THE HOME-RUN KING’’ 


76 

bound in bright blue cloth and tied with a pink 
ribbon on which there was a card bearing the in- 
scription : 

“To THE First Prize Winner, Boys’ Speaking 
Contest, East Wingate Union School” 

Pop slowly spelled out the title: 

“The Manual of Good Manners. Rules of 
Etiquette and Deportment for the Perfect Gentle- 
man in Polite Society. By Gwendolyn Cook.” 

“Well! Well! It is some prize, I’d say, and a 
book that ought to do you a lot of good. Pep.” 

“It certainly is just the thing he needs, as I 
have been telling him right along,” agreed Pink. 
“What do you think, Pop, this fellow hasn’t ap- 
preciated the value of that prize yet? Why, that 
book will be the making of him. Look at the pic- 
tures in it. It tells you exactly how to put on and 
take off your evening clothes and even how to fold 
them up. Tells you what to do when you propose 
marriage and what to say when the girl says ‘no,’ 
and what to do when she says ‘yes.’ Yes siree, 
that book is going to be the making of Pep Pin- 


PEP SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 77 


dar. Pretty soon, I suppose, he’ll get out some 
calling cards, engraved with his full name, Paul 
Everett Pindar, which most folks have forgotten, 
and all the society folks of East Wingate will be 
referring to him as The Perfect GentlemanP 

“Oh, cut out your kidding,” said Pep, “and go 
on and tell Pop about the contest. That’s what we 
came over for.” 

“That’s right, me lad. Tell me all about it. 
I’m dying to know. Did Pep really make a won- 
derful speech?” 

“We — el, I don’t know as I would exactly call 
it wonderful admitted Pink, “yet, on the whole, 
he did credit to his instructors. There was once 
or twice I thought he was slipping, but he bucked 
up all right and took a fresh grip and pulled 
through without any really bad break. I sat right 
down in front where I could give him the strong 
eye the minute I saw him tripping, for I had made 
up my mind that if he fell down, after all the time 
and worry I have spent teaching him the art of 
elocution, I was going to take him out behind the 
church sheds and give him a good trimming.” 

“Yes, you would!” said Pep. “You couldn’t 
trim a hedge.” 


78 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


“Well, the preliminary speeches were not so 
much,” continued Pink, ignoring the interruption. 
“The girls did fairly well, though, and Julia Conk- 
lin sort of redeemed the family honor by winning 
the first prize for the girls. But Andy surely did 
give her an awful handicap. 

“But the way that boy Andy sweat and stuck 
to his speech surely was a wonder. At least eight 
different times he got stuck, but he repeated a few 
lines and took a fresh hold, got going again and 
managed to stick to the finish, although it wasn’t 
exactly a grand stand finish. I tell you, a fellow 
that makes a sacrifice like that deserves some big 
favor. Pep, and I believe you ought to let Andy 
have the loan of that book of yours about half of 
the time.” 

“Oh, go on,” said Pep again. “Tell your story 
and cut out the side talk.” 

“They mixed them up, you know, first a boy and 
then a girl and Pep was the fourth boy to speak. 
The two other fellows didn’t do very much better 
than Andy, although I don’t think any of them 
quite came near Andy’s record of eight errors in 
a singly inning.” 

“What are you talking about, the speaking con- 
test or baseball?” asked Pep. 


PEP SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 79 

“Oh, that’s a mere figure of speech,” answered 
Pink grandly. “Something you will learn more 
about when you take your next course in elocu- 
tionary training.” 

“There’s going to be no further course for me,” 
said Pep grimly. “You can count me as gradu- 
ated in that subject. Gee, I wouldn’t go through 
another experience and make another speech to 
win a scholarship in Yale University.” 

“But suppose they gave you a chance to play on 
the Yale baseball nine. Then, wouldn’t you make 
another speech?” inquired Pink. 

“Oh, go on an’ finish your story,” said Pep. 

“Well, as I have already told you,” continued 
Pink, addressing Pop, “our young Pep fairly did 
credit to his gifted instructors — meaning myself 
and the Reverend Mr. Fletcher, of course — and I 
was pretty sure he had the prize cinched until 
Eddie Sweet got up to make his speech. 

“Right from the start it was evident that 
Eddie was going to leave no stone unturned. He 
was going to go after the prize on the points of 
appearance and on every other thing that goes to 
make up the perfect speaker. He had on a brand 
new pair of patent leather pumps, some new lav- 
ender silk socks and a pair of bright pink Boston 


8o 


‘THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


garters. But I’ll tell you more about that later. 

“Eddie had decided that he was going to take 
no chances and he was going to win by giving 
quantity as well as quality in his speech. Pep, 
here, you know, picked out that poem, ‘Casey at 
the Bat,’ not only because it was about baseball, a 
subject that he has some slight knowledge of, but 
also because it was about the shortest piece he 
could find.” 

“It was long enough,” put in Pep. 

“Well, it answered the purpose, but, as I was 
saying, Eddie wasn’t going to take any chance by 
not giving the folks their money’s worth, so he 
picked out a long, romantic poem, called ‘The 
Sweet Singer of Seville.’ It was all about some 
girl who lived down in a Spanish town of Seville 
having a lot of trouble with her sweetheart. 

“She must have been a vampish sort of a dame 
and as pretty as a pippin, I’d say, because the first 
verse that Eddie recited told about her locks of 
raven hue and her ruby lips and her sparkling eyes 
and all that sort of thing. 

“Well, it seems this fair maiden, as the poem 
went, gets sort of sweet towards a young man who 
comes traveling through the town. The poem 


PEP SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 8 1 


called him a cavalier. But this cavalier fellow 
must have been a little slow, because he didn’t fall 
for the fair maiden’s charms right away. 

“I almost forgot to say that her chief talent was 
singing. I suppose that is one reason why Eddie 
picked out the piece about her. She was all the 
while trying to charm this cavalier fellow, twang- 
ing her guitar and singing and also casting goo-goo 
eyes at him and vamping him, every chance she 
got. But he must have been sort of a hard-boiled 
so far as the girls are concerned, because the 
poem brought out that he gave her the cold 
shoulder and kept right on at his work, whatever 
he was doing. After a while, the fair maiden gets 
pretty much peeved about the proposition and so, 
after about the sixteenth verse, she gets into a fuss 
with him. She goes to see him and starts to read 
him the riot act. 

“Eddie was going so strong up to this time that 
I was beginning to feel pretty shaky about the 
prize. But, as the poet says, ‘Fortune always 
favors the brave,’ and even if the scheme we fel- 
lows fixed up didn’t work out altogether, Provi- 
dence stepped in to help us. 

“As I was saying, Eddie gets along to where 


82 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


this dame was having a fuss with the fellow she 
wants for a sweetheart and she begins to hand it 
out to him pretty hot and heavy. Then Eddie 
came to a line in which it says : 

“ ‘The fair maid stamped her dainty foot.’ 

“Of course, you know, Eddie is right there with 
the gestures, so, naturally, when he came to this 
line, he lifted up one of his patent leather pumps 
and gave it a stamp on the stage. Tick Wood 
almost made a lot of us fellows laugh out loud by 
whispering: 

“ ‘Some hoof-shaker that dame must have been, 
if she had a foot anything like Sweetie’s.’ 

“Well, the first stamp evidently didn’t effect the 
cavalier fellow very much, because she kept right 
on talking and, pretty soon, the poet tells that : 

“ ‘Again with rage she stamped her foot.’ 

“Eddie evidently thought that stamping it with 
rage meant putting a little more snap into it, so he 
brought his foot down pretty hard. 

“About this time, some of the fellows up in the 


PEP SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 83 

front row began to snicker a little bit and as I 
took a look to see what was up, I saw that in his 
helping the fair maiden to stamp her foot, Eddie 
had shaken loose one of his pink Boston garters 
and that it was hanging around his foot. Like- 
wise, his lavender sock was coming down. Right 
then and there, I began to feel that maybe our 
cause wasn’t lost yet, because you know how Eddie 
is about clothes. If there’s a thing about his 
clothes that isn’t exactly right, it effects him more 
than anything else that could happen. 

“But, if he suspicioned that anything was wrong, 
he kept right on spouting poetry. Evidently the 
second time the maiden stamped her foot caused 
the cavalier fellow to begin to take a little notice, 
because right there the cavalier fellow began to 
make a few remarks and pretty soon he was saying 
a few things to the beautiful maid, because, after 
another verse or two, there came a line : 

“ ‘The maiden paused, with downcast eye.’ 

“And, of course, Eddie had to show exactly how 
she did it, and when he cast his eyes down, the first 
thing he noticed was the boys in the front row 


84 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


snickering and the next was his pink garter and 
his lavender sock dangling around his foot. 

“Well, whatever it was that made the maiden 
pause, I have forgotten, but that horrifying sight 
certainly made Eddie pause, so he repeated: 

“ ‘The maiden paused and with downcast eye.’ 

“And then, after hemming and hawing, he re- 
peated: 


“ ‘The maiden paused . . 

‘Still again he stumbled on: 

“ ‘The maiden paused . . 

“After giving the maiden one more pause, 
Eddie dashed madly off the stage and, believe me, 
the house broke loose. In fact, it was beginning 
to break before Eddie left the platform. 

“Well, that’s about all there was to it, except 
that the Baptist preacher made the usual an- 
nouncement of the judges’ decision and, of course, 
gave the first prize to our noble orator, Pep Pin- 


PEP SEEKS EDUCATIONAL HONORS 8 5 

dar. When he handed out the book, he made 
some crack about it being valued, not only for its 
intrinsic merit, but also that it would always be a 
reminder of a memorable occasion.” 

“You bet it will,” ejaculated Pep. “Pm going 
to keep that book all right, because I’ll say it was 
some memorable occasion. Do you know, all 
through my speech I was just as sure, every min- 
ute, that my knees were shaking so that everybody 
in the place could see it?” 

“Well, I guess they did shake a bit at that,” 
said Pink, “but all that is over and now we have 
got the prize and, of course, your father will let 
you go to Wingate. Did he say anything to you 
about it?” 

“Yes, he did, and I really think father’s about 
as glad to have me go as I am to go. In fact, I 
think he sort of wanted me to go all the while, but 
after he thought out that scheme it was just like 
him to stick to it.” 

“Well, boys, you certainly did fine and I con- 
gratulate you both,” said Pop, the tears almost 
rolling down his cheeks from laughing at Pink’s 
story of the affair. “I’d given anything to have 
been there, but to know you have won and to hear 


86 


“THE HOME-RUN KING’’ 


you tell about it so well has done me a lot ot 
good.” 

Thereupon the boys bade him good night and 
departed to their homes. 


CHAPTER V 


PEP AND HIS CHUMS ENTER WINGATE ACADEMY 

There was no unusual happening during the 
summer vacation, except that Pep worked with 
exceptional diligence on his father’s farm. Pep 
had never been able to find a great deal of fun in 
farming. But, being so pleased with the prospect 
of entering Wingate Academy in the fall, and, as 
Father Pindar seemed to be taking a little more 
interest in his son and showing a little more friend- 
liness towards him. Pep really put a lot of zest and 
energy into his summer work. 

Of course there were the usual Sunday School 
picnics and other outings and social affairs and 
the boys got a chance to enjoy quite a few base- 
ball games, although they played no games of 
special importance. At the Sunday School picnic 
game, however. Pep, with his customary vigor, 

87 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


slammed out a long fly and lost the ball in the 
grove in which the picnic was held. This, ot 
course, caused some caustic comment, because, un- 
fortunately, no one had thought to bring along a 
second ball, consequently the game was broken up. 

On the day that Wingate opened. Pop Murray 
took a day off and drove Pink, Andy, Pep, Tick 
and Willie Peters over to Wingate in his biggest 
touring car. The boys were all planning to board 
in one of the dormitories at Wingate, intending 
usually to come home over the week-ends. 

Previously, they had visited the Academy 
grounds. Likewise they had already enrolled 
with the school authorities and made arrangements 
for their lodging in the dormitory which was called 
Benton Hall. 

Tick and Pep were paired off as room-mates 
and Andy and Pink were lucky enough to obtain 
an adjoining room. Wingate Academy was situ- 
ated just on the outskirts of the little city of 
Wingate, which boasted a population of about 
seven thousand. The Academy was rather an old 
and not so very large institution, its total number 
of students being less than three hundred. In 
fact, it was less than half the size of its chief rival. 


PEP ENTERS WINGATE ACADEMY 89 

Lakewood Military Academy. There were only 
five principal buildings in the Academy group, 
although several of the teachers lived in cottages 
on or near the Academy grounds. 

The buildings consisted of two long and rather 
low dormitories ; the main building, containing the 
auditorium, in the back basement of which was the 
gymnasium. There were two other smaller build- 
ings, one called the Hall of Science and the other 
the Hall of Languages. 

These five buildings formed a quadrangle, the 
two dormitories running along the sides, the audi- 
torium at one end and the two other buildings at 
the other end. The buildings were almost hidden 
in a grove of mighty elms and beautiful maples. 

At the rear of the buildings, at the bottom of a 
small hill which sloped down to the Susquehanna 
River, was the athletic field which, of course, was 
the principal point of interest to our friends. 

After stowing their things away in their rooms 
the boys bade good-bye to Pop and started out to 
hunt up the registrar and arrange their schedule 
of studies. 

Upon arriving at the registrar’s rooms, how- 
ever, they found that there was such a big line of 


90 


THE HOME-RUN KING' 


boys in waiting that they decided to take a stroll 
down to the athletic field first. There was quite a 
bunch of boys on the field, each engaged in the 
sport which appealed to him. Several were racing 
around the half-mile running track which encircled 
the field. Several other groups were tossing and 
kicking footballs, while quite a considerable num- 
ber were engaged in various baseball practices, 
some pitching and catching and one fellow batting 
out flies to quite a group of boys in the field. Few 
of the players were in any sort of uniform and 
there was no regularity to their playing. They 
were evidently simply amusing themselves just to 
kill time. The vast majority, however, were 
standing around watching the antics and plays of 
the others. Of course, there was the usual good- 
natured chaff and greeting between fellows who 
were acquainted with each other and Pep could not 
help blushing and the other boys feeling pride, 
because quite a number of the boys recognized 
him. 

His size made him a conspicuous figure and, as 
most of the boys at Wingate came from the farms 
and nearby villages, naturally Pep’s work in the 
diamond had been observed by a good many of 
them. 


PEP ENTERS WINGATE ACADEMY 91 

“There goes Pep Pindar, the fellow from East 
Wingate who knocked so many home runs,’’ one 
boy whispered loud enough for our fellows to 
hear, causing Pep’s blushes to increase and the 
other boys to rather strut with pride at their being 
the chums of such a well-known character. 

Pretty soon two of the players stopped and 
strolled over to the boys. Pink and Pep remem- 
bered one of the fellows. Doc Tupper, who had 
been one of the star players of the Wingate 
Academy nine during the previous season. As 
Doc advanced, he greeted them : 

“Hello, Pindar. Glad to see you with us and I 
also remember your friend here,” turning to Pink, 
“but don’t just recall his name. I want you to 
meet Jack Duffy, who is the captain of our football 
team. The minute Jack saw Pindar he insisted on 
my coming right over, because the one thing that 
Jack is after this fall is to get more beef for his 
team.” 

Pep rather awkwardly introduced his chums and 
Duffy said: 

“You surely must come out for football, Pindar. 
As Doc says, we are up against it this fall for 
weight on our team and Doc tells me that you are 
a mighty good baseball player, so I am sure that, 


92 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


with your weight, you can make the eleven all 
right,” as he admiringly appraised Pep’s well- 
built, husky form, “and I believe you are going to 
be a big addition to our team.” 

“I hadn’t thought much about playing football,” 
said Pep. “You see, baseball is more in my line.” 

“We fellows over at East Wingate never went 
in much for football,” Pink explained. “Of 
course, some of us have fooled around with it 
more or less, but we have been in the habit of 
playing baseball in the fall as well as in the 
spring.” 

“Well, you won’t get much chance at baseball in 
the fall here at Wingate,” said Doc, “although 
we keep up quite a few practice games in order to 
keep our hands in. You see, the athletics here in 
our school is run by a regular athletic council, 
which is composed of both teachers and students. 
They sort of arrange things so that one branch of 
athletics doesn’t interfere with the others. In 
the fall the main excitement is football, basketball 
during the winter, and then the baseball starts in 
the spring. So you see you will have plenty of 
time to play football, only I want you to take 
mighty good care that you don’t let any of these 


PEP ENTERS WINGATE ACADEMY 93 

football sharks hurt that batting wing of yours, 
because we surely do expect to need it next spring 
when we are going out after the championship. 
The boys have elected me baseball captain and as 
this is my last year at Wingate, of course I want 
to turn out a champion nine. 

“I believe you play also,” said he, turning to 
Pink. Before he could reply. Pep answered : 

“Yes, you bet he plays, and he is a good deal 
better player than I am, except that he may not be 
able to hit ’em out quite so heavy.” 

“Aw, go on, quit your kidding,” blushed Pink, 
but Doc went on : 

“Well, you surely look like a good player. I 
think you’ll have a pretty good chance to make the 
nine. What’s your position ?” 

“I have been captain and catcher for the East 
Wingate team.” 

“Say, have you fellows been up to see Tommy 
and got your study courses arranged?” suddenly 
exclaimed Jack. 

“Who’s Tommy?” asked Pink. 

“Oh, that’s the name that the boys give to Pro- 
fessor Thomas, who is the head of the English 
department. He is in charge of arranging the 


94 


‘THE HOME-RUN KINU’ 


schedules. He’s sort of a first assistant or right- 
hand man to old June Bug.” As the boys guessed, 
this was also a nickname given to the principal of 
the Academy, Dr. Junius Bugbee. 

“How are you when it comes to books? Got 
any boners among you?” 

“What’s a boner?” Pink inquired. 

“Why, it’s a fellow who knows more about 
books than he does about anything else, sort of a 
bookworm.” 

“Well, we’ve got one with us all right,” grinned 
Ping as he pointed to Tick. “This bird may look 
small to you, but he’s big stuff when it comes to 
books. He simply eats ’em up. He will take a 
book and in two hours will know more about it 
than the fellow who wrote it.” 

“Aw, shut off your gas. Pink!” Tick growled. 

“But how about our friend. Pep?” inquired 
Doc, smiling. “Is he there with the book stuff, 
too?” 

Pep blushed and Pink shouted gleefully : 

“Not so you could notice it! In fact. Pep is 
about what you might call a perfect contrast for 
Tick. In everything that Pep is big in. Tick is 
small in, and in everything that Tick is small in. 


PEP ENTERS WINGATE ACADEMY 95 

Pep is big in. In fact, aside from winning the 
championship as the silver-tongued orator of our 
town, we can’t exactly say that Pep has ever dis- 
tinguished himself in the educational world.” 

“Silver-tongued orator?” inquired Jack. “Gee, 
if that’s so he must join our debating club.” But 
as the East Wingate boys were grinning, he asked, 
“Is he really a good speaker?” 

Despite Pep’s protestations. Pink insisted on 
relating the story of the prize speaking contest. 

The boys now returned to the school building 
and, after waiting in line for a while longer, were 
able to get their interview with “Tommy,” who, 
after asking their names, drew forth their enroll- 
ment blanks, which contained information as to 
their previous record in East Wingate School. 

Pep was the last one to have an interview with 
“Tommy” and the other boys were obliged to 
wait around outside quite a while before he came 
out. When he came forth he looked as though 
his best friend had just died. Without parley, he 
broke the sad news to the fellows. 

“Say, what do you suppose that ‘prof’ says 
I’ve got to do? He says that in order to play 
baseball or football or be on any of the regular 


96 


THE HOME-RUN KING^ 


athletic teams, I have got to maintain an average 
standing of eighty-five per cent, and never fall 
below seventy-five on any subject.” 


CHAPTER VI 


POP MURRAY, THE VETERAN PITCHER, DELIVERS 
A FEW STRAIGHT ONES 

To SAY that the information given out by 
Professor Thomas, regarding the educational 
qualifications that the Academy insisted that its 
first team athletes must maintain, was a heavy 
blow to Pep states the case too mildly. Indeed, 
Pep considered it a complete knockout. Looking 
at it in whichever way he tried, he felt that it was 
an absolutely impossible obstacle to overcome. 
He recalled how difficult it had been for him to 
reach the sixty per cent passing mark which had 
been the required standing at East Wingate. In 
fact, several times he had fallen below the neces- 
sary sixty per cent and had been obliged to take 
the same subject over again. 

As the boys walked back to their rooms and 
then as they sat around discussing the situation, 
97 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


98 

they said everything they possibly could to cheer 
Pep up and make him see that the situation was 
not hopeless. Both Tick and Pink agreed that 
they would continue to coach him in his studies the 
same as they had been doing at East Wingate, and 
they both seemed to feel confident that, even 
though it was going to be a pretty serious propo- 
sition, yet it was by no means impossible. 

But Pep could not see it that way. He felt that 
all his visions of fame on the ball field had been 
cast down by, what he considered, an unfair rule. 

The boys insisted on dragging him out to a get- 
acquainted reception that was held in the school 
auditorium that evening. It was a hilarious affair, 
but Pep took no part in the fun, although Pink 
and Tick soon were right in their element. Pep 
moped around and answered everyone who said 
anything to him in monosyllables until Doc 
Tupper took Pink aside and said to him : 

“Say, where did that chum of yours get his nick- 
name? He’s got about as much pep as a corpse. 
The fellows have been hearing a lot about him and 
they were expecting that he would turn out to be 
some punkins. But he acts as though he was old 
Chief Gloom himself.” 


POP DELIVERS A FEW 


99 


“Oh, you mustn’t mind that to-night,” Pink 
explained earnestly. “Pep is not his regular self, 
as he has just received a pretty sad piece of news 
which has badly upset him. If you will only tip 
off the fellows. I’ll tell you all about it later.” 

Then, as the boys realized that Pep’s moping 
at the party might seriously injure his reputation 
and future standing at the school among the boys, 
they decided to go home early in order to get him 
out of the way. 

Pep immediately went to bed, but not to sleep. 
All night long he tossed in his bed, worrying over 
the problem. Since he had put forth what he 
considered such tremendous efforts to gain the 
chance to come to Wingate and then, the first day 
at school, for all his hopes and prospects to be 
upset, surely was a terrible discouragement. But, 
finally, he concluded that the one thing for him 
to do was to go back home and stay on the farm 
with his father. Of course he realized this course 
was going to cause him deep humiliation in addi- 
tion to being a bitter dsiappointment to his 
greatest ambition. 

However, as he dropped into a fitful sleep 
towards morning, he made up his mind that before 


100 


THE HOME-RUN KING^ 


he definitely decided the question, he would go 
back to East Wingate and have a talk with Pop 
Murray. He found a little hope in the thought 
that Pop had been able to show the boys how to 
pull themselves out of some pretty big holes and 
overcome some pretty big obstacles. This hope 
so lessened his worries that he finally sank into 
slumber. 

The first two days at Wingate were devoted 
entirely to getting the students properly registered 
and scheduled in their classes. So the next morn- 
ing Pep took the nine o’clock train back to East 
Wingate. 

When he showed up at the garage, Pop was, of 
course, greatly surprised, but he read in Pep’s face, 
that something serious was troubling him. At 
once Pop dropped the work in which he was 
engaged and took Pep into his back room. Never 
in his life, since he was a little shaver, had Pep 
felt so near to actually weeping as Pop patted him 
on the back and said, “Now, laddie, tell me what 
it’s all about and remember that there’s few things 
broke so bad that they can’t be mended and what 
can’t be cured can always be endured.” 

“I’ve got to quit Wingate,” blurted out Pep. 


POP DELIVERS A FEW 


lOI 


“What?” Pop exclaimed in amazement, “you’ve 
got to quit almost before you’ve started? Why, 
what’s the trouble, lad?” 

Then Pep explained the scholastic requirements 
for athletes. 

“Well! Well!” said Pop musingly, “so that’s 
all your trouble is, is it, and you’re going to throw 
up the game just because you think you have no 
chance of beating it?” 

“Well, what chance do I have?” asked Pep. 
“Just see how unfair it is when a fellow can go 
through school and graduate, if he only passes 
seventy-five. But, if he wants to play on any team 
in baseball or football or basketball or anything, 
they make him get an extra ten points. Why, it 
looks just as though they don’t want anybody but 
their star students to have any part in athletics.” 

“Hold on, me lad,” said Pop soothingly. 
“Now let’s get the right of this. Probably the 
school folks have their own reasons for making 
their rules. We mustn’t forget that the main 
purpose of the Academy is to teach the boys things 
that they find in books, rather than the things that 
they can learn on the ball field. The books come 
first and the games and sports must come second. 


102 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


Maybe if you put it the other way round and 
made the sports come first, the Wingate Academy 
wouldn’t have the good reputation it has and folks 
wouldn’t be so apt to want their boys to go there, 
because. Pep, my lad, most parents are like your 
own daddy; they don’t care so much about having 
their son become a champion athlete as they do to 
have him be a good student. But the big question 
is, why must you lay down when there’s dozens 
of other boys who are able to keep up to the school 
rule and have their fun in the games just the same. 
Surely, Pep, you’re not a stupid lad.” 

“Well, maybe I am not stupid,” admitted Pep, 
“but it’s harder for me to learn things than it is 
for other fellows, like Pink and Tick. I simply 
hate studying.” 

“So, ho! That’s how it stands!” murmured 
Pop. “You want to play baseball and get to be a 
big star but you ain’t willing to pay the price. 
Pep, me laddie, suppose when you were playing in 
a game with a big champion nine against you and 
you were pitching and they got three men on the 
bags and nobody out. What would you do? 
Holler to the captain to pull you out of the box, 
or would you go right on and pitch your hardest?” 


POP DELIVERS A FEW 


103 

“Of course, I would pitch my hardest,” Pep 
promptly replied. “You know I would.” 

“Sure, I know you would and that’s what I 
think you ought to do now. My boy, there’s a 
good many things in life that is like playing base- 
ball. The baseball school is about the only school 
I had a chance to go to and while I picked up a 
pretty fair knowledge of things in general, yet it 
has been the big sorrow of my life that I ran 
away from home when I was a wee laddie and 
never had a chance to get much of the knowledge 
that you get in schools and in books. I never got 
into any of the big leagues, but I have learned a 
good deal about ball players, and I tell you, Pep, 
that even if it is your big ambition to be a great 
player some day, there is nothing like having a 
good education to fall back on when your days on 
the diamond are over. Ball playing is a pretty 
vigorous life and most of the ball players can’t 
stand the pace more than a few years. Then 
those that were fools like meself, and never had 
any profession or much education, must come back 
and take up any job that they can get hold of. 

“Of course, you’ve heard a lot about the big 
money that ball players earn and there are some 


104 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


of them that do get the big money, but not all of 
them by any manner of means. There are lots of 
them that, when they have finished their ball- 
playing days, haven’t laid up a penny. 

“Now, Pep, don’t get me wrong. I am not 
saying a thing against ball playing. I think it is 
the best game in the world and I don’t 'blame you 
a bit for your ambition to be a big leaguer. I 
hope you’ll win and I really think you will. But 
ball playing isn’t going to be your whole life and 
all the more book learning you can get into your 
head will make you a better ball player and, most 
of all, will give you something solid to fall back on 
when your playing days are over. 

“Now, there’s something else I want to point 
out to you. Pep, me lad,” continued the old man, 
going to some shelves in one corner of the room 
and taking down a little book bearing upon its 
cover the title, “Lives and Records of Famous 
Baseball Players.” Opening the pages he said: 

“This gives the records of the biggest baseball 
players in the country. Now let me show you 
something about the fellows that are the real star 
players. For instance. Pep, who do you count as 
the biggest player in the big leagues?” 


POP DELIVERS A FEW 


105 

“Christy Mathewson, of course,” said Pep 
promptly. 

"“All right, the book says Christy Mathewson 
started his baseball career in Keystone Academy 
at Factoryville, Pennsylvania, and then in Buck- 
nell University in 1899. Suppose you name 
another big star in the game.” 

“Cactus Cravath,” said Pep, after a moment’s 
thought, the name probably coming to him because 
Cravath was making some sensational home runs 
on the Philadelphia team that season. After 
thumbing the pages of the book and reading a 
moment. Pop said: 

“Well, I guess that’s one for you, because the 
record don’t tell about Cactus starting at college, 
although he was quite a famous player when a boy 
on the school teams of his home town, San Diego, 
California. All right, name me another!” 

“Tris Speaker,” said Pep, thinking he was be- 
ginning to get on to what Pop was driving at. 

“All right,” said Pop after turning a few pages. 
“Tris Speaker started his baseball career in 1905 
at Fort Worth Polytechnic Institute. Name 
another I” 

“Harry Hooper of the Red Sox,” ventured Pep. 


io6 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


“Won his fame as a pitcher with St. Mary’s 
College of San Francisco,” Pop read. 

“Dutch Leonard,” Pep named next. 

After a moment’s search, “Ah, ha !” said Pop, 
“you’ve picked another St. Mary’s College player. 
He came direct from St. Mary’s College of San 
Francisco to the Red Sox in 19 1 1, says the book.” 

“Eddie Murphy,” was Pep’s next guess, and 
Pop soon announced: 

“Started in 19 ii at Villanova College.” 

“Walter Pipp.” 

After a second Pop announced briefly: 

“Nineteen-eleven and twelve, Georgetown Uni- 
versity.” 

“Jim Thorpe, the Indian,” said Pep, thinking 
this time he was going to score, but Pop triumph- 
antly announced: 

“Carlisle College.” Closing the book. Pop 
said, “Well, Pep, do you see what I’ve been trying 
to drive home to you? Most of the star players 
in the major leagues have come either from big 
schools or colleges and this is getting to be more 
and more so every year. 

“The great baseball clubs send out men that 
they call scouts to hunt for promising ball players 


POP DELIVERS A FEW 


107 


and these scouts are giving more and more time 
to looking over the work of the boys in colleges 
and in the big schools. I guess the reason is 
because the managers have found that it takes 
something besides muscle to win ball games and 
that the more education and the more brains a 
lad has the better ball player he is likely to be.” 

Pep offered no comment, but was evidently 
doing some pretty heavy thinking. After a few 
moments’ silence, Pop continued: 

“Now, Pep, me lad, do you see just what you’ve 
been doing? You’re laying down and you’re 
quitting and never in my life did I think of you^ 
Pep, as a quitter.” 

Stung to the core. Pep denied, “I’m not a 
quitter ! I never laid down in a game in my life I’^ 
“Well, then, what are you doing? You’re giv- 
ing up because you think you can’t keep up to the 
rules of the school and yet you haven’t really tried 
to do it. What do the other boys say about it?’^ 
“Well, Tick and Pink think that I could pull 
through all right, if I studied hard enough, and 
say they would help me a whole lot all the while,” 
admitted Pep reluctantly. 

“There you are !” said Pop triumphantly. 


io8 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

“Your friends have more confidence in you than 
you have in yourself.” Then, coming over and 
laying his hands affectionately on Pep’s shoulder, 
he continued : 

“Now, me lad. I’m getting along in years and 
I’ve no kin of me own. So about the only comfort 
that I can take In my old age Is to think that now 
and then I’ve helped a young lad by giving him a 
bit of good advice, and, right now. Pep, I think I 
am giving you the best advice that I could possibly 
give to any boy, even If he was my own son. Go 
back to your school, my boy ! Make up your mind 
that you are going to get through with those 
studies and keep up with the record If you have to 
work as you never worked before. I believe you 
can do It and the other boys believe you can do It, 
and you can do It If you’ll really try. Some day, 
I expect to hear about you making a big name for 
yourself on the diamond. Maybe you’ll get with 
one of the major leagues; but. Pep, I don’t believe 
you’ll ever do it if you ain’t got the grit to stick 
to your guns and pay the price of your future suc- 
cess right now! 

“I’m thinking. Pep, that what you decide to-day. 


POP DELIVERS A FEW 109 

in the next few minutes, means whether you’re 
going to spend your life bumming around in bush 
league baseball or whether you’re going right 
straight through to the top.” After several 
moments of deep silence, Pop asked quietly: 

“And now, what are you going to do, my boy?” 

“I am going back to school,” said Pep slowly, 
“and I’m going to try my very best.” 

“Don’t just try, my boy, but say to yourself 
that you’re going to do it in spite of everything 
and then you will do it. Nothing can stop you if 
you make up your mind you’re going to stick to it, 
no matter what happens. It’s this sticking stuff 
that counts in winning baseball games as well as in 
winning all the other games of life.” 

So Pep took the next train back to Wingate and 
had a pretty serious conversation with the boys, 
although his chums were thoroughly confident that 
Pep was bound to win out. 

“You’re going to make that eighty-five per cent 
grade,” said little Tick, “if I have to climb right 
inside your hide and do your thinking for you.” 

“Well, if you could get inside of Pep’s hide. 
I’m afraid you would rattle around a bit,” grinned 
Pink, “but, believe me, Pep, my boy, you’re not 


no 


‘THE HOME-RUN KING” 


going to fall down on the book side of the propo- 
sition with Tick and me backing you up.” 

It was decided that Pep would have to forego 
any idea of football, in order to get a good start 
in his lessons, but this caused him no especial 
sorrow, because his interest in baseball was so 
great that he cared very little whether he played 
any other games or not. 


CHAPTER VII 


EDDIE SWEET SEEKS REVENGE FOR HIS BUSTED 
STRAW HAT 

Pep’s chums arranged a regular schedule for 
coaching him in his studies. As he was taking 
exactly six subjects the boys divided their labors 
equally, Tick being responsible for Pep’s progress 
in history, English and first year Latin, while Pink, 
who was better in mathematics and science, was 
Pep’s coach in algebra, physics and geology. Tick 
was an unusually methodical youth and, although 
the youngest of the trio, acted as director of the 
arrangements. Some of the boys, after they be- 
came acquainted with the situation, added a new 
nickname and called him “Prof. Wood Tick.” 

But the little bookworm didn’t mind the chaf- 
fing as he was always able to hold his own in any 
joshing contest, and even Pink admitted that 
“when it comes to slinging the English language, 
Tick has us all skinned a mile.” 

Ill 


$ 


I 12 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


So Tick insisted upon a rigid adherence to the 
schedule of two hours in the early morning and 
two hours every evening. At first Pep was in- 
clined to give up all athletics in order to devote 
himself entirely to his studies, but Tick soon 
convinced him of the folly of such a plan, although 
it was agreed he should not attempt to enter any 
of the teams. But he kept in good trim by playing 
scrub baseball and also playing football on his 
class team and, occasionally, considerable basket- 
ball, besides participating in the regular g5mi- 
nasium classes. 

During the first few weeks of the schedule, 
there were several times when Pep was almost 
ready to throw up the sponge. It was the hardest 
task he had ever attempted in his life. It was not 
that he was at all stupid, but in some way or other 
he had developed an inborn hatred for study. 
Yet every time he had the slightest Inclination to 
quit, the scene In Pop Murray’s garage would 
arise before him and he would seem to hear Pop’s 
kindly voice ringing In his ears. Then he would 
pull himself together, grit his teeth and buckle 
down to the task more resolutely than ever. 

He really made fine progress in every subject 


EDDIE SWEET SEEKS REVENGE 113 

excepting Latin. One thing Pep has never been 
able to understand, even to this day, was how a 
boy who seemed to be otherwise reasonably intel- 
ligent should actually delight in studying Latin, 
which was the case with Tick. Probably it was 
largely due to the fact that Tick took a most 
enthusiastic interest in the study of languages, 
especially Latin, that he was able to keep Pep’s 
marks up to the standard. Possibly an additional 
fact that helped some was that “Tommy,” the 
head of the school of languages, was also an 
enthusiastic baseball fan. Not that it is to be 
inferred that “Tommy” showed any partiality, 
but evidently his system was to give a good athlete 
the benefit of the doubt in every recitation or 
examination. 

After several weeks of “Professor Wood Tick’s 
intensive course of training,” as Pink had face- 
tiously referred to their task, for the first time in 
his life Pep had the experience of having teachers 
actually praise him for his good work in class. It 
so happened that history had always been the least 
detestable of any subject that Pep had studied, and 
as Doctor Bugbee was a remarkable instructor in 
history who had the knack of connecting those 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


events of ancient days with certain events and facts 
in modem life, Pep began actually to enjoy the 
study of history. And at his first mid-term exami- 
nation he passed a hundred per cent, and was the 
leader of his class and received words of praise 
from “old June Bug” himself right before the 
whole class. 

When the boys had returned to their rooms 
after this happy event and Pep was inclined to be 
a little cocky. Tick promptly brought him down 
to earth by insisting that it was his system of study 
that was responsible for the results and that most 
' of the credit for the achievement was due to him- 
self, as Pep’s coach. 

So throughout the first semester everything was 
going along swimmingly. Each week study was 
getting less and less difficult for Pep, although he 
still concentrated a great deal of hate upon Latin 
and just managed to pull through in that particular 
subject. But in history, after his first taste of the 
joys of victory, he was continuing to lead the class 
and was becoming quite accustomed to an occa- 
sional word of praise from Doctor Bugbee. 

But, as the proverb of the sailor goes, “When 
the skies are the brightest, watch out for a storm.” 


EDDIE SWEET SEEKS REVENGE 115 

The storm that soon arrived came very near to 
wrecking Pep’s career. The whole thing started 
away back when Pep knocked the ball through 
the Baptist meeting-house window and broke 
Eddie Sweet’s hat. 

Eddie had never forgiven him for what he 
considered the mean way Pep had treated him 
with regard to the hat catastrophe. As Eddie 
viewed it, it was bad enough to have his hat 
busted without having the fellow who was respon- 
sible for it not only refuse to pay damages, but 
to add insult to injury by poking fun at him. 

Eddie had duly entered Lakewood and was also 
beginning to win the particular kind of fame that 
pleased him best. He had won a place as one of 
the soloists in the Lakewood Academy Glee Club. 

During the winter and spring the two Lake- 
wood musical clubs, the Glee Club and the Banjo 
and Mandolin Club, were accustomed to give 
entertainments at some of the neighboring towns. 
Not long after Easter, such an entertainment was 
given at Wingate. The clubs motored over in 
two big school busses, together with several other 
automobiles, and put up at the Fairfax Inn, the 
most fashionable hotel in the city of Wingate. 


ii6 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


While Eddie was lolling around in an easy chair 
on the portico of the Inn, an East Wingate boy, 
now attending the Wingate Academy, an old 
friend of Eddie’s, came along and stopped to 
greet him. After some conversation about folks 
and events at home and mutual inquiries as to 
how things were getting along in school and a few 
mutual aspersions regarding the superiority of 
their different institutions of learning, the East 
Wingate boy remarked : 

“There isn’t any Rule Thirteen in Lakewood 
Academy, is there?” 

“What do you mean. Rule Thirteen?” Eddie 
inquired. 

“Why, I saw you coming out of Aunt Mary’s 
Y. L. S. to-day.” 

“Aunt Mary’s Y. L. S.?” Eddie was still 
further mystified. 

“Yes, that’s the name our fellows have given 
to Miss Mary Gould’s Select School for Young 
Ladies.” 

“Oh ! That’s all right. Didn’t you know that 
Clara was attending school there?” 

“Oh I That’s so 1” said the boy. “I’d forgot- 
ten that, but even so, sister or no sister, if you 


EDDIE SWEET SEEKS REVENGE 117 

were attending Wingate you would have to get a 
written permission or they would haul you over 
the coals for breaking Rule Thirteen.” 

“What is Rule Thirteen?” inquired Eddie. 

“Why, it seems that, a long time ago, there 
was some sort of a rumpus on account of the 
Wingate Academy boys ‘rushing’ the girls over 
at Miss Gould’s School, so the ‘profs’ at Wingate 
got together and fixed up a rule, which we fellows 
call Rule Thirteen. Any Wingate Academy boy 
who visits Miss Gould’s school without a written 
permission gets thirteen points taken off his 
deportment record. I don’t know just why they 
made it thirteen, but I suppose the professor who 
put it through thought it was funny. Anyway, 
that’s why we have always called it Rule 
Thirteen.” 

After the boy departed, Eddie sought out some 
of his Lakewood chums to while away the time 
until the evening’s entertainment. Returning to 
the Inn, Eddie received another surprise, a rather 
pleasant one. The day clerk had gone off duty 
and the new night clerk at the Inn was none other 
than Jake Snyder, dressed more stylishly than 
ever, in Eddie’s eyes. 


ii8 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

It seems that Jake, since his bad break at the 
ball game, had been behaving himself pretty 
decently and, as the job of night clerk at the hotel 
just suited him, he felt pretty good towards him- 
self, in particular, and towards the rest of the 
world, in general. 

He greeted Eddie most cordially and, during 
the intervals of attending to his duties, they had 
quite a long chat. Finally Jake brought up a 
very delicate subject. He explained to Eddie 
about his present prosperity and felt, now that he 
was settling down to business and, as he consid- 
ered it, was making good, he might renew his 
attentions to Eddie’s sister, Clara, of whom he 
had long been an ardent admirer. Clara, how- 
ever, had never given him any encouragement, but, 
of course, as is customary in small towns, had felt 
obliged to act fairly friendly towards him when- 
ever they were thrown together at social affairs. 

Jake proposed that Eddie should carry a note 
over to his sister, as it was well known that the 
rules of Miss Gould’s select school did not permit 
the girls to receive correspondence from anyone 
excepting their parents and all letters were subject 
to the inspection of teachers. 


EDDIE SWEET SEEKS REVENGE 119 

Eddie had always been a great admirer of Jake 
and never could understand why Clara would not 
have anything to do with a man who dressed as 
elegantly as Jake always did. So he readily con- 
sented to be the bearer of the note and, after 
considerable labor, Jake evolved what he consid- 
ered was a masterpiece. 

The next morning Eddie started out to deliver 
the note, but, as he was on his way, he suddenly 
remembered Rule Thirteen and there flashed into 
his mind, as if by inspiration, a scheme for getting 
even with Pep Pindar. 

Without delivering the note he went back to the 
hotel and shortly afterwards returned with the 
automobile crowd to Lakewood. 

On the following Sunday, however, Eddie was 
spending the week end in his home in East Win- 
gate and, after Sunday School, he promptly sought 
out Pep’s sister, Katy, who did not, by any means, 
share Pep’s dislike for Eddie Sweet. On the 
contrary, Katy was just at that age where a boy 
who dressed so well, as she thought Eddie did, and 
who was such a lovely singer and who also paid 
her considerable homage, appealed to her roman- 
tic nature. 


120 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


Girls, you know, are likely to start their 
romances much earlier than boys. 

Anyway, Eddie, while not a sweetheart or even 
a “best fellow,” yet had paid enough attention to 
Katy so that frequently she received the chaffing 
of her friends about it. Therefore, when Eddie 
sought her out after Sunday School and asked 
permission to walk home with her, since it was a 
beautiful day and Mother Pindar could see no 
harm in young folks enjoying themselves, of 
course she gave ready consent. 

During the walk home, Eddie, without disclos- 
ing his sinister purpose, was easily able to make 
Katy an innocent accessory to his plot. A day or 
so later. Pep received the following letter from 
his sister: 

Dear Pep: 

We were all disappointed because you 
couldn’t come home Sunday, but, of course, 
we got your letter saying you were going to 
visit one of your chums over the week-end. 

I suppose you will be home next Sunday as 
usual and maybe you will be surprised to get 
this letter from me. 


EDDIE SWEET SEEKS REVENGE 121 


But IVe got a favor that I want you to 
do for me and someone else who I think you 
won’t object to helping out. 

Eddie Sweet called on us Sunday. Now, 
of course, it isn’t Eddie that I am asking you 
to do a favor for, because I know you don’t 
like him. You think just because a boy can’t 
play baseball that he isn’t much good, but 
maybe Eddie will surprise you one of these 
days. I think he is one of the nicest-looking 
boys in our town and he always dresses so 
swell, too. 

But the favor I want you to do is for 
Eddie’s sister, Clara, and, if you think as 
much of Clara as you used to, I guess you 
will be glad to help her out of a little trouble 
she is having. 

Of course, you know how stingy the 
Sweets are, all excepting Clara. Of course, 
they like to have their children get everything 
that is stylish but they don’t like to spend 
their money and so Mr. Sweet has given 
Clara such a small allowance that she has 
gotten into trouble at school. It seems she 
borrowed ten dollars of one of the girls, 


122 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


thinking she could save up enough of her 
allowance to pay it back after a while. Then 
this girl has gotten mad at her for some 
reason or other that Eddie don’t know exactly 
what it is and so the girl wants the ten dollars 
paid back right away or else she is going to 
tell some of the teachers and Clara will get 
into a lot of trouble. 

Now you know that girls at Miss Gould’s 
school are not allowed to receive letters from 
anybody other than their folks and Clara 
doesn’t dare ask her folks for any more 
money because she knows that would raise a 
fuss, so she wrote a note to Eddie and wanted 
him to loan her the ten dollars and bring it 
over to her. But Eddie can’t get away to do 
this so he asked me to send the letter with the 
money to you and he wants you to take it over 
to Clara. 

Now I’m sure you’ll do this, buddy, but 
you have got to do it so nobody will find it 
out and you mustn’t tell a single soul and 
please do it right away because the mean girl 
that Clara borrowed the money from is just 
simply hounding her to death and threatens 


EDDIE SWEET SEEKS REVENGE 123 

to make a fuss with the teachers if she doesn’t 
get her money right away. 

Love from all the folks and from your 
loving sister, 

Katy. 

As Katy’s letter intimated, Pep, although he 
had never, as yet, been deeply interested in any 
member of the fair sex, had always nursed a secret 
admiration for Clara Sweet. In fact, he had often 
wondered how there could be such a nice girl In 
the same family that produced as poor a specimen 
of a boy as he considered Eddie to be. So that 
evening he dressed himself with unusual care and 
hastened to carry out his sister’s instructions. He 
decided that, on account of the secrecy enjoined 
by Katy, he ought to use considerable caution in 
delivering the note. 

Therefore, as he arrived at the girls’ school, 
he did not enter and ask to see Clara but strolled 
up and down the walk, glancing anxiously in 
through the wide gateway, hoping that, after a 
while, Clara would come out upon the big lawn, 
on one side of which were the croquet grounds 
and on the other side the tennis courts. 


124 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


Miss Gould’s school prided itself on its select- 
ness and, of course, was not a very large institu- 
tion. The school consisted of one ample building 
w^hich was not only the dormitory but also 
contained the class rooms, and in the back was 
the girls’ gymnasium. There was quite a spacious 
lawn with a large stone fence along the street side 
and an ornamental iron gateway and a broad walk 
leading down to the portico of the school. 

From time to time, as Pep paced up and down, 
he would glance anxiously through this gate at the 
groups of girls who were playing and, after what 
seemed to him almost years of waiting, Clara 
came forth, chatting with a group of other girls 
and carrying a tennis racquet. Immediately Pep 
darted through the gateway and spoke awkwardly. 

“Hello, Clara!” 

Detaching herself from the other girls, she 
came over and said : 

“For goodness’ sakes, Pep Pindar! What 
brings you here?” 

“I’ve got a note for you,” he whispered and, as 
they shook hands, he conveyed the note to her as 
much under cover as possible. Then hurriedly 
saying, “Well, I must beat it,” he started away. 


EDDIE SWEET SEEKS REVENGE 125 

but, on a second thought, he turned and stammered 
in a whisper, “S-say, Clara, i-if you need any 
m-more money, why, why just let me know.” 

“What in the world are you talking about, Pep 
Pindar? Are you studying so hard that you’re 
going nutty?” 

“That’s all right. Good night,” he said, decid- 
ing that Clara wanted even to conceal from him 
the fact that she was having this trouble about 
money. 

As he came through the gateway upon the 
sidewalk, he noticed that Doctor Bugbee and Pro- 
fessor Thomas were strolling along on the 
opposite side of the street, chatting together. As 
they saw him coming forth, he saw them give a 
start, but Pep, having never heard about Rule 
Thirteen, blushed a little and bowed to them and 
hastened back to the Academy. 


CHAPTER VIII 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE THAT IS NOT IN 
THE BASEBALL GUIDE 

On the following afternoon, at Latin class, 
after recitation. Professor Thomas said: 

“Pindar, will you please arrange to call at 
Doctor Bugbee’s office this evening at seven-thirty 
for a special conference?” 

“Yes, sir!” said Pep and he left the room con- 
siderably disturbed, because all along it had been 
especially difficult for him to keep up in his Latin 
class and now he felt sure he must be running 
behind. He spoke to the boys about it at the 
evening meal, but Tick felt pretty certain that it 
was nothing serious, because he was keeping close 
tabs on Pep’s progress in Latin and he could not 
see how it was possible for him to be falling 
behind. 

But Latin was not the subject discussed that 
126 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE 127 

evening, when Pep called at “the June Bug’s 
Nest,” the term used by the boys to designate 
Doctor Bugbee’s private office. He found Pro- 
fessor Thomas and Doctor Bugbee a .vaidng him, 
and, after asking him to be seated, the d ;ctor 
opened the subject at once by saying: 

“Professor Thomas and 1 thought we sav you 
coming out of Miss Goul I’s Select School fcr 
Young Ladies last evening about six-thirty.” 

“Yes, sir I” acknowledged Pep, blushing, but, in 
his ignorant innocence, rather wondering why they 
brought up such a subject. Then it flashed 
through his mind that, perhaps, some cf the 
teachers at Miss Gould’s school had see i him 
delivering the note and that Clara’s little fault 
had been discovered. He was, therefore, rather 
dismayed at thinking he had bungled. 

“I suppose you were calling upon one of the 
young ladies,” remarked the doctor gently. 
“Have you a sister at Miss Gould’s school?” 

“Or a cousin?” added Professor Thomas with 
a smile. “I’ve noticed that when our boys make 
requests for permission to visit Miss Gould’s 
school they very frequently state that they wish 
to call upon a certain cousin. Our boys usually 


128 


“THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


have a considerable number of cousins in Miss 
Gould’s school.” 

“No, I haven’t any relatives in that school,” 
rephed Pep, “and I didn’t know you had to get 
permission before you could go there,” he added 
in surprise at the information Professor Thomas 
had given. 

“So then,” put in the doctor, “it seems that you 
have never hea d of what some of our humorous 
young students ,_all Rule Thirteen?” 

“No, sir!” admitted Pep, “I never heard of 
any such rule.” 

A look of relief passed over Doctor Bugbee’s 
face as he nodded his head at Professor Thomas 
as much as to say, “I thought sol” For it must 
be confessed that, owing considerably to Pep’s 
standing in history, which was more than merely 
a study with the doctor — it was actually a hobby 
— he considered Pep as one of his favorite pupils. 
That is, as near as any principal of a school can 
possibly indulge in having favorites. 

Professor Thomas also was friendly towards 
Pep, not because he was a bright and shining star 
in the Latin class, but because of his athletic 
prowess. But Professor Thomas was a bachelor 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE 129 

and was generally known as sort of a woman 
hater. He inquired: 

“Then of course you won’t object to giving' 
the name of the young lady you were calling upon 
and explaining the object of your visit.” 

Right away Pep began to see that any explana- 
tion of his errand would be almost certain to get 
Clara into difficulty, so he stammered: 

“Well — er — I wasn’t calling on anyone in par- 
ticular. I was just passing by and just looked in.” 

As it was so obvious that he was not telling the 
truth, the doctor’s face fell. 

“Pindar,” said he, rather sternly, “I must con- 
fess that I am surprised. While in legal realms 
there is a principle that ignorance of the law is no 
excuse for crime, yet in our institution we do not 
exactly follow this legal principle, so I may as well 
explain to you that the Rule Thirteen that we 
have spoken about is one of the regulations of the 
school whereby any student of the Academy who 
visits Miss Gould’s school without written permis- 
sion from myself or my assistant. Professor 
Thomas, thereby receives thirteen demerit marks 
on his deportment record. 

“Now, as I have explained, we are not sticklers 


130 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


about the legal matters in this case and if you were 
really ignorant of the ruling and could offer a 
satisfactory excuse, I have no doubt that, in this 
case, we might overlook the penalty. But your 
excuse that you simply looked in, out of what you 
wish us to believe was idle curiosity, will not pass 
muster. You will have to give us a better 
explanation than that or I’m afraid the penalty 
of thirteen demerit marks will have to be marked 
up against your record.” 

Pep was too confused to make very much of a 
coherent reply, but stammering and blushing, like 
the man in the court room who, when accused of 
telling a lie, said, “Well, that’s my story and I am 
going to stick to it,” Pep stuck to his rather feeble 
excuse. 

After a few further remarks, during which it 
was evident that both Doctor Bugbee and Profes- 
sor Thomas were very much disappointed, Pep 
was dismissed. 

As Pep hurried over to his room he felt 
anything but dismayed. Of course he did not 
like the idea of having a poor record in deport- 
ment, but, on the whole, he felt he had acted the 
part of a hero in protecting the honor of a fair 
maiden. In fact, as he came to his room, he was 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE 13 1 

in a fairly self-satisfied frame of mind. Doc 
Tupper, Andy and Pink, and, of course. Tick, were 
gathered in his room, chatting and chaffing and 
awaiting his return. As he entered. Pink greeted 
him: 

“Well, what’s the verdict? What have you 
been doing? Are you going to be shot at sunrise 
or simply hung, drawn and quartered?” 

“Oh, it’s nothing very much,” said Pep, “but 
why didn’t you fellows tell me about that Rule 
Thirteen before?” 

At this Doc Tupper sat up and took notice. 

“You don’t mean to tell me that you’ve been 
over to Miss Gould’s School without permission 
and busted Rule Thirteen?” 

“Well, what if I have?” asked Pep, rather 
defiantly. 

“Well, for the love of Mike. Of all the prize 
boobs I ever ran up against, you certainly take 
the bun!” exclaimed Doc. 

“Great Caesar’s Ghost!” put in Pink, “I thought 
I knew you and all your faults, which are a-plenty, 
but this is the first time I ever heard of you trying 
to be a lady killer. What girl have you been 
rushing over at the Y. L. S.?” 

“It’s none of your business,” said Pep, begin- 


132 


“THE HOME-RUN KING’’ 


ning to get a little angry, because there was some- 
thing more than ordinary chaffing behind the tone 
of the boys. “I just went over there for fun.” 

“Fun!” yelled Doc. “Say, how many times 
have you cut chapel this term?” 

“Only once,” said Pep. 

“And how many times have you been late at 
chapel?” 

“I guess about three times, maybe,” said Pep. 
“What of it?” 

“What of it?” Doc wailed. “This is what of 
it, you poor simp. You’ve simply gone and busted 
all your chances for playing on the baseball team.” 

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Pep. “The 
fellows said a fellow had a right to cut chapel 
four times during the term.” 

“That’s all right for a fellow who isn’t fool 
enough to go and bust Rule Thirteen. What the 
fellows meant was that you get three marks off 
every time you cut chapel. So if you behave your- 
self otherwise, you can manage to cut chapel four 
times and still keep up your deportment standing. 

“But you not only cut three marks off every time 
you cut chapel, but one mark every time you are 
tardy at chapel, so you already have at least six 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE 133 

demerits against you in deportment and now 
you’ve added thirteen, which leaves you a deport- 
ment standing of only eighty-one, losing out by 
just four points. Of all the boobs!” 

“You don’t mean to say ” 

“Yes, I do! That’s just exactly what I mean 
to say. That your deportment record in Wingate 
stands just the same, so far as playing on any 
first team, as your school record. You’ve got to 
maintain eighty-five points in deportment as well 
as an average of eighty-five in all of your studies 
or you can’t play on any first team.” 

“Hadn’t you ever heard anything about Rule 
Thirteen before?” asked Pink. 

“No, I hadn’t,” said Pep sullenly. 

“Well, then, I’ll bet, if you go over and tell the 
doctor all about it and tell him you didn’t know 
and tell him why you happened to go over to the 
Y. L. Seminary, why he will let you off. The 
doc’s a good old scout and he certainly likes you 
because of the work you’ve been doing in the 
history class.” 

“Sure,” said Doc, “I believe you’re right, Pink. 
I think, maybe, we can fix the thing up all right 
after all. All Pep will have to do is to tell the 


134 


THE HOME-RUN KING 


name of the girl he went to call upon and why he 
went there and then I’m pretty sure the doctor 
will let him off.” 

“Who said I went to see a girl?” asked Pep 
belligerently. “And it’s none of your business if 
I did and I’m not going to explain anything to 
the doctor.” 

At this outburst, the fireworks certainly broke 
loose in Pep’s room. His friends started, in a 
chorus, to point out, with the usual school-boy 
emphasis, just how big a jackass he was making 
of himself. But Pep was obdurate and, after a 
while, simply buried himself in a book and refused 
either to talk or to listen. 

From that day on an atmosphere of gloom 
surrounded Pep and his friends. Feeling certain, 
in his own mind, that he was pursuing the right 
course, Pep would not offer one word of explana- 
tion and refused, furthermore, to discuss the 
proposition with anyone. He took the dropping 
out of the baseball team almost stoically, but, in- 
stead of dropping back in his studies, he put forth 
redoubled effort in this direction. He became 
even more of a bookworm than little Tick. 

Of course. Pink and Tick still continued coach- 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE 135 

ing him in his studies, because both of them were 
hopeful that some way would finally be discovered 
which would solve the problem. They could not 
understand what was behind it all, because, as both 
of them had always known Pep from his kid days, 
they knew that he had never been a “girl chaser,” 
so they felt certain that there must be some 
peculiar reason for his visit to Miss Gould’s 
school. All of Pep’s friends were constantly on 
the search for clues to the mystery. 

Meanwhile the baseball season was opening, 
and as Doc Tupper desired Pep to still continue 
practicing with the team, he did so. Doc, like 
Pink and Tick, was hoping that something might 
turn up that would remove the ban and give Pep 
a chance to play. But several games had already 
been played with various schools and still Pep 
continued gloomy and silent and the mystery sur- 
rounding his breaking of Rule Thirteen seemed 
no nearer solution than before. 

Wingate had been a fairly easy winner of the 
four games that had already been played because 
these games had been with the weaker schools of 
the section. But the date for the game with Lake- 
wood Military Academy was rapidly approaching 


136 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

and Doc Tupper was anything but happy over the 
prospects. 

The preceding year, Lakewood had won two 
games out of the three and had also won the 
largest number of games of any of the secondary 
schools in that section and, therefore, Lakewood 
was considered the holder of the baseball cham- 
pionship. But, with Pep’s ability with the bat 
and with a nine that was considerably stronger 
than the previous season. Doc had been building 
hopes of winning from Lakewood. He felt 
positive that, if he could win from Lakewood, 
Wingate surely would gain the championship. 

Doc, not being so well acquainted with Pep, 
soon came to regard him with anything but real 
cordiality. Yet, as stated, he still urged Pep to 
remain on the team, although, of course, it was 
impossible for him to permit Pep to play in any 
regular game. 

Thus things had run along until the Friday 
before the first game with Lakewood. The old 
spirit of affection that had been so close among 
the East Wingate chums was now seriously dis- 
rupted by what the boys regarded as Pep’s 
unreasonable attitude in not explaining the 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE 137 

situation to them. Pink was beginning to feel 
some compunctions of conscience over this because, 
as he considered it, it wasn’t quite right that the 
friendship of so long standing should be broken 
up just by a single misunderstanding. His con- 
fidence in Pep was such that he was beginning to 
think that Pep had a real worth-while excuse for 
not explaining. 

So, on this particular Friday afternoon. Pink 
had resolved to make special effort to renew the 
old familiar friendly relationships. As a starter 
in carrying out this resolution, he went over to his 
chums’ room and invited Pep and Tick to go down 
town for a little soda water spree at Carter’s 
Candy Shop. 

Just as the boys were about to enter the candy 
store they met one of the teachers and three of 
the girls from Miss Gould’s school coming out. 
One of these girls was Clara Sweet and, of course, 
Pink, Tick and Pep promptly and politely doffed 
their caps and gave a friendly greeting to Clara. 

Clara returned the greeting and smiled at Pink 
and Tick, but with an instant change of her face, 
which seems to be an accomplishment at which 
most girls are particularly adept, she stared coldly 


138 


THE HOME-RUN KING' 


past Pep, not even so much as letting her eyes 
meet his. Both Pink and Tick had caught this 
by-play and, as they entered the store. Pink whis- 
pered to Pep : 

“Gee whiz ! Clara certainly gave you the glassy 
glare, all right. What’s the trouble? Is she mad 
because of your fuss with her brother?” 

“No !” replied Pep. “I guess not. I don’t 
know what she’s mad about.” 

And he really did not. As a matter of fact he 
was the most surprised youth of the trio. To him 
it seemed a pretty tough proposition. For a 
fellow to suffer all the troubles that he had been 
enduring, all on account of Clara, and then to 
have her deliberately refuse to speak to him, 
seemed a little too much for one fellow to bear. 

There was very little sweetness to the ice cream 
soda that Pep managed to swallow. All the while 
both Tick and Pink were alternately chaiffing him 
and then trying to pump him for the reason why 
Clara had “turned him down.” Both of his 
chums were aware of his admiration of Clara 
which he had kept secret from others. 

As the boys departed from the store, suddenly 
Pink slapped his thigh and said: 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE 139 

'‘By Jimminy Crickets! IVe got it!” and then 
stopped suddenly. 

“What’s that you’ve got?” asked Tick. “A 
stroke of paralysis of the willie woggles?” 

“Nothing that you would ever think of,” replied 
Pink. “I’ve just got hold of a thought — a real 
thought. Something that you don’t know any- 
thing about, of course.” 

“Oh, go on,” chaffed Tick, “you don’t know 
what a real thought looks like.” 

Pep didn’t enter into the chaffing, because he 
was too much cast down by Clara’s recent treat- 
ment of him, and Pink, also, soon relapsed into 
silence. After a while, however, he broke forth. 

“Say, Tick, aren’t Clara and Eddie Sweet 
cousins of yours?” 

“Sure,” admitted Tick, “although I’m not 
particularly proud of acknowledging the relation- 
ship so far as Eddie is concerned. What about 
it?” 

“Oh, nothing much,” said Pink. 

“By the way, got anything on after supper 
to-night?” 

“No, I guess not,” Tick replied. 

“All right, suppose you come over and see me 


140 


THE HOME-RUN KING' 


a few minutes. I want to talk with you about a 
problem — in mathematics.’’ 

On the following day the Lakewood boys, as 
was their custom, arrived early, coming over in 
their gaily decorated motor buses, accompanied 
by other automobiles containing a goodly number 
of rooters. Before the game the Lakewood 
students were making themselves very much in 
evidence about the town, flaunting their school 
colors and generally enjoying themselves. They 
were confident of victory. 

But Pep Pindar had almost reached the depths 
of despair. He had donned his baseball togs and, 
as was his custom, was intending to go down to 
take part in the warming-up practice before the 
game. But he was heart-sick over the prospects. 
Then, as the despondency finally gripped him, he 
told Tick, who had already achieved the position 
he formerly had held at East Wingate, as Official 
Score Keeper for the Academy boys, that he was 
not going down even to attend the game. 

“What’s^ the trouble, old boy? Are you really 
sick?” asked Tick anxiously. 

“No, I guess it’s nothing very serious, but 
maybe I’ve been eating too much or something,” 
mumbled Pep. 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE 141 

After advising him to go and see Doctor 
Ruggles, the school physician, and have him fix up 
something that would make him feel better so he 
could attend the game, Tick and Pink finally 
departed for the field. 

Pep sat down in the big morris chair and, if he 
had been a few years younger, it is pretty certain 
that he would have indulged in a real cry. In 
fact, a tear or two did trickle down his face. He 
was simply heartsick and felt that everything had 
gone wroijg with him. The disappointment was 
so bitter. After all the struggle that he had made 
to gain the coveted honor and then, when about 
to taste the joys of victory, to have the cup 
snatched from him was almost more than a fellow 
could bear. 

He thought of the former time when he had 
decided to quit school, but now he decided he 
would not even think of quitting but would just 
keep plugging on, but with no hope for ever 
having any fun in the future. It seemed to him 
that the bottom had dropped entirely out of the 
universe, so far as he was concerned. 

Just then there came a knock at his door, and, 
as he mumbled “Come in,” one of the smaller 
boys of the Academy entered and said: 


142 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


“Pep, the ‘old June Bug’ wants you to come 
over to the office right away because there’s a 
lady there to see you.” 

“A lady to see me.” Pep was surprised. 

“Yes, a girl.” 

“Gee whiz ! I wonder if Sis has picked a time 
like this to come over to visit the school,” he 
murmured, as he grabbed his cap and started 
across the grounds to Doctor Bugbee’s office. 

To his astonishment, when he entered the office, 
instead of finding his sister, the young lady who 
arose to greet him, smilingly, was none other 
than Clara Sweet. 

“How do you do, Mr. Pindar,” said Clara as 
she advanced to shake hands, the formality of the 
address being due, of course, to Doctor Bugbee’s 
presence. 

The doctor, also, was unusually cordial and, 
where Clara put on the formality, for once the 
doctor dropped it and said: 

“Hello, Pep I” 

This certainly was as surprising as it was cheer- 
ing. In fact. Pep was fairly dazed at the whole 
performance, but he managed to greet them both 
in a rather awkward fashion. 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE 143 

“Well, my boy, I think we have some good 
news for you,’’ continued the doctor. “This young 
lady has been over and told me all about your 
pleasant little call upon her at Miss Gould’s 
school.” 

Pep was more mystified and he blurted out to 
Clara : 

“Well, what’d you want to do that for? I 
hadn’t let out a word about it.” 

“No, you poor* simpleton,” said Clara. “I 
suppose you wouldn’t have said a word if they 
had actually suspended you from the Academy, 
would you?” 

“Why, I guess I wouldn’t,” admitted Pep widi 
a rather rueful smile. 

Then the doctor interrupted to explain. 

“Young man, you want to be mighty thankful 
to this young lady because the news she brings me 
is going to let you help our boys win from Lake- 
wood to-day.” 

“What do you mean?” asked Pep. 

“Well, I suppose we better not keep you in 
suspense any longer.” Thereupon, the doctor 
explained the whole situation and told how, on the 
previous evening. Tick, who was Clara’s real 


144 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


cousin, had secured official permission to call upon 
her, because Pink, after going out from the soda 
fountain, had guessed enough of the difficulty to 
feel certain that Clara was concerned In It. And 
so, when Tick told Clara how Pep had been sus- 
pended from playing ball because of having 
broken Rule Thirteen, Clara had told of her own 
indignation and humiliation because Pep had been 
the bearer of a note written by Jake Snyder. 

She had not been able to figure out just why 
Pep would bring her a note from Jake and she 
had managed to conceal the note from the teach- 
ers so that that had not gotten her into any 
trouble. But one of the teachers had been on the 
field when Pep made his rather peculiar call and 
had demanded an explanation. Because Clara 
could not give a satisfactory explanation, she, too, 
had been subjected to a few black marks in de- 
portment, but nothing so serious as the penalty 
Pep had been obliged to pay. 

Upon learning that Pep was being prevented 
from playing baseball, Clara had decided to go 
to one of her teachers and make a clean breast of 
the whole affair. Then, with the advice and con- 
sent of the teacher, she had made this call upon 
Doctor Bugbee. 


PEP BUMPS UP AGAINST A RULE 145 

When Pep produced the letter from his sister, 
and explained the situation from his angle, of 
course everything was cleared up. 

“And now, young man, you’d better hustle down 
to the ball field, because there isn’t very much 
time before the game. Of course, I don’t know 
what will happen, but I imagine, probably, that 
you may get a chance to play.” 

“I surely hope you will trim those Lakewood 
fellows, even if my brother does go to school 
there,” put in Clara vigorously. 

As they shook hands and departed. Pep stam- 
meringly attempted to thank Clara. She gave him 
a smile that more than made up for the “icy stare” 
that she had handed him on the previous day and 
took her departure. As Pep, also, was about to 
depart, Doctor Bugbee called : 

“By the way, Pindar, if another occasion should 
arise when you should wish to visit your — er — 
cousin at Miss Gould’s school, I trust you will not 
forget to ask me for an official permission.” 

As Pep noted the quizzical smile in the doctor’s 
eyes, he blushingly said : 

“Yes, sir! Thank you!” and departed hastily 
for the ball field. 


CHAPTER IX 


THE FIRST GAME OF WINGATE ACADEMY AGAINST 
LAKEWOOD MILITARY ACADEMY 

As Pep left Doctor Bugbee’s office and raced 
off towards the ball field, he felt like the hero in 
one of Brigg’s cartoons — “Ain’t it a Grand and 
Glorious Peelin’?” He actually seemed to bounce 
along, feeling fairly buoyant with the joy that 
possessed him. He was not certain that he would 
get a chance to play, but even that thought did 
not discourage him, because the sudden sweeping 
away of the storm that had threatened to over- 
whelm him brought too much sunshine to be dissi- 
pated by any small clouds. 

He felt kindly towards all the world, not even 
excepting the originator of his previous troubles; 
so, when he saw Eddie Sweet among the Lake- 
wood rooters, Pep even grinned and waved his 
146 


WINGATE AGAINST LAKEWOOD 147 


hand. Eddie looked amazed, and, while he 
nodded in return, he gave rather a forced smile. 

The Lakewood ball players were occupying the 
diamond, and the snappy practice that they were 
displaying was getting Doc Tupper, the captain 
of the Wingate team, more and more dismayed. 
But when Pep came along, beaming with smiles 
and radiating the joy that he felt, it swept away 
Doc’s gloom immediately. Guessing, at once, the 
reason for Pep’s evident pleasure, Doc exclaimed : 

“Great Scott! Pep, old scout, has the old June 
Bug lifted the ban and is he going to let you play 
to-day?” 

“Surest thing you know,” answered Pep joy- 
ously. “That is, he says I can play so far as he 
is concerned. But you’re the captain, of course.” 

“Well, you bet you’re going to play then, if it’s 
all right with Doctor Bugbee.” 

“What happened? How did you settle it? 
What was the big trouble anyway?” were ques- 
tions that were hurled at him from Pink and some 
of his other friends who knew about the difficulty. 

As well as he could, with considerable stammer- 
ing, on account of Clara’s connection with the 
affair, Pep related the whole story. As he finished 


148 


‘THE HOME-RUN KING” 


talking, Tick exclaimed in disgust, referring to 
Eddie Sweet: 

“And to think of that pup having the nerve to 
come here and watch the game after playing a 
dirty trick like that, and using his own sister to 
help him. Gosh, I disown him as a cousin of mine, 
although,” winking at Pep, “I don’t think I’ll just 
disown his sister yet. She’s still ‘a cousin o’ 
mine,’ ” with another wink which caused Pep to 
blush more deeply and immediately turn the con- 
versation to the prospects and plans of the game. 

Pink had won his regular place as backstop, but 
Pep was not the best pitcher on the team, and, 
consequently, the plans were to play him most of 
the time in the outfield, giving him an occasional 
opportunity in the box. Doc Tupper had an idea 
that this was the better plan, because he felt that 
the strenuous work in the pitching box might de- 
tract from Pep’s ability with the stick, and that 
was the thing that Doc was counting upon most 
to help him win the championship. 

“Say, Pep,” said Doc, as the idea occurred to 
him, “how do you think it would work to start 
the game without you in it? Of course, most of 
the Lakewood fellows have heard about your being 


WINGATE AGAINST LAKEWOOD 149 

suspended from ball playing, so they are not ex- 
pecting you to play to-day. Suppose we keep it 
up just a little bit longer and then wait until we 
get a few fellows on bases. Then I’ll slip you in 
as a pinch hitter and play you out in center field 
the rest of the game.” 

Pep would have preferred to get right into the 
game from the start, yet he saw the strategy of 
the scheme, realizing that anything that disconcerts 
the other nine is always considered the proper 
tactics in baseball, providing, of course, no unfair 
means is used to confuse the opposing team. 

For three whole innings. Pep fussed and fumed 
on the bench. The pitchers for both teams were 
keyed to the top notch of determination, so, until 
the Wingate half of the fourth inning, it was 
purely a pitcher’s battle. Not a single man had 
reached second, although a few had managed to 
gain the initial sack. 

Then, in the last half of the inning, which was 
Wingate’s turn at bat, after one had been struck 
out and a second one caught out on a little infield 
pop fly, little Tim Larkin, the Wingate shortstop, 
managed to draw a free pass. Pink was the next 
man at bat, and, as Tim was the best base runner 


150 


“THE HOME-RUN KING 


on the Wingate team, as Pink waited out the 
pitcher, Tim managed not only to steal second, but 
also third, due to the catcher putting over a wild 
throw to second base. The ball went low and 
wide, and was fumbled by the fielders who were 
backing up second, enabling Tim to reach third, 
although it took a long slide and was a nip-and- 
tuck decision. 

During the opposing pitcher’s efforts to catch 
Tim at third. Pink walked and reached second. 
This, of course, was the cue for Pep to come on 
the stage, although, for a moment. Doc doubted 
whether it was advisable, since there were two 
men out. He knew something of Pep’s home-run 
record, but Doc was naturally skeptical about any- 
one being able to produce a home run just at the 
desired moment, although he felt pretty confident 
that Pep could, at least, make a safe hit. He 
thought possibly he might wait it out a little 
longer so Pep might get a better opportunity later 
in the game, but, as he spoke to Pep about it. Pep 
said ; 

“Let me go in, because I feel like knocking that 
ball clear out of sight.” 

“All right, go to it, and if you lose the ball I’ll 


WINGATE AGAINST LAKEWOOD 15 1 

pay for another out of my own pocket,” Doc 
grinned. Then, walking out to the umpire. Doc 
announced the change, which the umpire immedi- 
ately shouted to the grand stands. 

“Pindar batting for Johnson,” he megaphoned. 
Immediately, there was consternation among the 
ranks of the Lakewood players. After Pep picked 
up three bats, swung them around his shoulders 
once or twice, and then threw two of them down, 
retaining his favorite stick, he walked to the plate. 
The captain of the Lakewood boys, who was also 
the catcher, threw off his mask and said: 

“But we understood that Pindar was suspended 
from ball playing on account of not being up in 
his studies.” 

Doctor Bugbee, in the meantime, had arrived 
on the field, and was sitting with Professor 
Thomas in their favorite perch in the grand stand 
just back of the wire backstop. “Tommy” was 
one of those fellows who always liked to watch 
what sort of balls the pitcher was delivering, 
liearing the Lakewood captain’s question. Doctor 
Bugbee immediately arose, and, in his sonorous 
voice, spoke: 

“I wish to state for the benefit of all present 


152 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


that Mr. Pindar has never been suspended for 
deficiency in studies, but, through a misunderstand- 
ing, in which he was not at all to be blamed, he 
was prohibited from ball playing up to the present. 
To-day, however, the matter has been settled to 
our entire satisfaction and with credit to Pindar, 
and he is entitled to play baseball.” 

This, of course, settled the matter, and, al- 
though Pep’s face was burning with blushes, it 
increased the joyousness that he had already 
expressed. To be vindicated, thus openly, by the 
old June Bug himself surely was an honor that 
was even worth going through all the trouble he 
had experienced. 

He gripped the bat and felt almost that what 
he had said to Doc was no joke, that he really 
could fairly melt the ball with the hit that he would 
give it. 

Evidently the turn of affairs had been somewhat 
disconcerting to the pitcher, for the first three balls 
that he put over were wide of the plate. For a 
moment. Pep felt that, perhaps, the pitcher was 
attempting Jake Snyder’s trick and trying to give 
him a free pass. But this was not the case, for the 
next ball almost cut the center of the plate. It 


WINGATE AGAINST LAKEWOOD 153 

was exactly the kind of a ball that Pep liked best. 

With a surge of joy in his soul he wielded the 
bat as he had never wielded it before, and, as he 
felt the crack of the wood against the leather, he 
sped towards first base, where he noticed Doc was 
jumping and yelling like a wild Indian. 

“Keep going. Pep, keep going! I guess it’s a 
homer all right.” 

Tim and Pink, of course, were racing towards 
home, and Pep had reached first and was on his 
way to second, when, all of a sudden, he heard 
Doc, who was coaching, yell : 

“By Jingo I Pep, you’ve won that bet You’ve 
put the old pill in the river.” 

Sure enough. Pep’s mighty hit had again 
broken another ground record, and had gone sail- 
ing clear across and far over the head and away 
past the right fielder, where it had bounded down 
the bank and finally rolled into the Susquehanna 
River. 

The three tallies made by Wingate in this inning 
were quite sufficient to win the game. Although 
the pitcher evidently was disconcerted and the 
Lakewood team very much upset, yet they buckled 
down to real ball playing and did not lose their 


154 


‘THE HOME-RUN KING” 


nerve. The pitcher struck the next man out and 
during the rest of the game the pitchers’ battle 
continued nip-and-tuck. 

The Wingate side, however, played air-tight 
ball, and prevented Lakewood from making a 
single tally. Likewise the work of the Lakewood 
pitcher was nearly as effective, and in the seventh 
inning he managed to put two strikes across when 
Pep was batting. Yet Pep felt that this was his 
day, and he did not believe it possible that any- 
body could strike him out. And it was, because 
he met the third ball and put across another home 
run, although this time the ball did not reach the 
river. 

The remainder of the game was an uneventful 
pitchers’ battle, and, as it was not necessary for 
the Wingate boys to go to the bat in their end of 
the ninth, the game closed with a score of 4-0 in 
favor of Wingate, and, of course, every single 
score had been due almost entirely to the good 
work of Pep Pindar. 

To say that there was a happy bunch of boys 
at Wingate that evening would be using a very 
mild expression. The term “wild Indians” and 
“lunatics” would be more accurate. Pep, natur- 


WINGATE AGAINST LAKEWOOD 155 

ally, was the hero of the hour, and, until he had 
managed to escape to his room and lock the door, 
he was surrounded by a group of cheering boys. 
Once or twice they tried to put him on their 
shoulders and tote him about, but he managed to 
tear himself away. 

There was one further pleasing incident of the 
day that may, possibly, be worthy of record. 
That evening Pink, Tick and Pep happened to 
have another errand down town, and, again, by 
strange coincidence, happened to pass Clara Sweet 
with another group of girls. After they were 
passed, again Pink turned to Pep and whispered: 

“Gee, that dame certainly knows how to mix 
them up. If she gave you the glassy glare yester- 
day, she certainly gave you the sunbeam smile to- 
night all right, all right.’* 

But, furiously blushing, Pep said nothing. 


CHAPTER X 


POP MURRAY GIVES A LITTLE TALK TO THE WIN- 
GATE TEAM AND MAKES A STARTLING 
ANNOUNCEMENT 

One AFTERNOON, not many days after the 
Lakewood game, Pep and Pink had an appoint- 
ment at Doctor Bugbee’s office to attend to some 
matters concerned with their history course. The 
Doctor had gotten both of the boys so deeply 
interested in the study of history that they were 
not only studying their regular text-books, but 
were reading other historical works, and, this 
evening, the Doctor had promised to help them 
make out a special list of books of historical 
stories that he believed they would find interesting. 

As they were just turning into the Doctor’s gate, 
much to their amazement, they met Pop Murray 
coming out. Greeting him boisterously by rush- 
156 


POP MURRAY GIVES A LITTLE TALK 157 

ing up and grabbing his hands and almost shaking 
his arms off, the boys exclaimed : 

“For the love of Mike ! Where did you come 
dropping from?” from Pep, and, 

“What’s the idea. Pop, are you signing up with 
Doctor Bugbee for a course in Wingate?” from 
Pink. 

“Sure,” replied Pop, grinning. “I heard you 
were in great need of ball players, and, as my edu- 
cation was a bit neglected when I was a lad, and, 
as I have a good deal more time to spare for such 
matters now, I thought I would come over and 
enroll with your school. I have heard it was a 
pretty fair sort of a school, although not quite as 
tony and up-to-snuff as Lakewood.” 

“Aw, come on, you old kidder,” said Pink 
affectionately. “You know there isn’t a school in 
the whole world that can beat Wingate.” 

“Well, maybe not, maybe not,” said Pop. 
Then, to give a serious explanation to his errand, 
“I was just calling on the boss of your school about 
a little personal matter and now I’m in a regular 
pickle about something else.” 

“Why, what happened?” asked Pep and Pink 
solicitously. 


158 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

“There was another fellow In there who the 
boss called Professor Thomas, and it seems this 
Thomas has a lot to do with your athletics, and 
when I told him my name he seemed to know 
more about me than I do myself, for he said right 
away that as long as I was over to the Academy I 
must stay over and give the baseball boys a little 
talk to-night, and there was no getting away from 
him. 

“I told him I wasn’t any talker, but he just 
said that he had heard all about me from you 
fellows and he wouldn’t take no for an answer, so 
there you are. Now, I suppose I’ll have to do It, 
although I’d rather have a tooth pulled than make 
a talk to a bunch of crazy boys I don’t know. Of 
course. If It was just you and Pink and the East 
Wingate laddies, it would be all right.” 

“Well, you can bet all the East Wingate boys 
will be there,” announced Pink; “and ‘Tommy’ 
surely has pulled off a good one this time. Pep 
and I will spread the news so we’ll all be there.” 

“Oh, that’s all right,” said Pop. “Don’t try 
to scare up too much of a crowd. Mr. Thomas 
said it was just going to be for the baseball play- 
ers, and, of course, he wants me to talk about 


POP MURRAY GIVES A LITTLE TALK 159 

baseball, because that’s the only thing I know any- 
thing about, barring a little bit of knowledge of 
blacksmithing and looking after automobiles.” 

The special meeting was held in the “gym,” 
which was crowded, not only with the players on 
the team, but almost every student in the Academy 
who had heard about it had cut every other en- 
gagement and come to hear the talk by Pop 
Murray. 

The East Wingate boys, particularly Pep, 
because of his big work with the stick, and Pink, 
because of his chatter and general excellence in 
his studies and athletics, and Tick, because of his 
being an odd but friendly sort of character, were 
gaining considerable popularity at the Academy. 

Professor Thomas acted as the chairman of the 
meeting, and, after paying a rather glowing tribute 
to the veteran pitcher’s baseball ability, which 
caused Pop to squirm and blush considerably, the 
Professor sat down and Pop had the floor. 

The yells and cheers of the boys at first caused 
him more confusion; but, as Pep and Pink and 
Tick and Andy and several other East Wingate 
boys were grouped together near the front row. 
Pop looked at them, recovered confidence and 


i6o “THE HOME-RUN KING’’ 

commenced his talk in about the same manner that 
he used to talk to the boys back home in his 
garage. 

“Well, my laddies, you’ve heard the story of 
the fellow who had to make a speech at his own 
wedding dinner and who was rather confused, 
and when he stood up his knees kind of trembled, 
so he put his hands on the shoulders of his blush- 
ing bride and said — referring to the fact, of 
course, that he didn’t want to make a speech — 
“This thing has been thrust upon me.” 

As the laughter at this sally subsided, he con- 
tinued : 

“But your professor here thinks I can make a 
speech, even if I don’t think so myself, and so, 
as I’ve always had a lot of confidence in men with 
book-learnin’, I’m going to do the best I can. 

“He wants me to talk about baseball because, 
I presume, he knows that’s about all I have much 
knowledge of anyway, because when I was a 
young laddie, like yourselves, I was such a fool as 
not to go to school, so about the only learnin’ I’ve 
picked up at all was in what folks call ‘the Uni- 
versity of Hard Knocks’ and on the ball field. 

“Now, after hearing about the record that you 


POP MURRAY GIVES A LITTLE TALK i6i 


fellows made the other day against Lakewood, I 
sort of figured that maybe there wasn’t much about 
baseball playing that I could tell you. 

“Then, as I took a second thought about the 
matter, there was a few thoughts that popped 
into my head that I am going to give to you for 
what they are worth, although they may not be 
worth much. 

“I heard that you won the Lakewood game 
chiefly through the good playing, or the good 
luck, maybe,” with a grin towards Pep, “of one 
of your players. Whether it was his good play- 
ing or good luck, there’s just one thing I want to 
tell you, and that is that while you might win a 
game now and then through the work of one 
man, it don’t happen that way many times. It is 
the work of the whole team that counts most, not 
what just one or two of the star players are do- 
ing. So the first pointer I’d give you is to get 
all the teamwork that you can. 

“My friend Pep, here, is somewhat of a wiz- 
ard with the stick. Batting seems to come nat- 
urally to him and he takes a great interest in it. 
But you can see for yourselves that in the long 
run of games you are not going to win the cham- 


i 62 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


pionship simply because of one man’s batting, but 
because all of your team learn the art of making 
hits. So I’m going to try to give you just a few 
little pointers about batting. 

“First of all, the main thing in my mind that 
a batter needs is confidence. You can’t hit the 
ball if you are anyways afraid or If you’ve got 
the least bit of doubt that you’re going to hit It. 
Every time you step up to bat, you’ve got to feel 
that you’re, a better man than the pitcher and that 
the pitcher can’t possibly strike you out. I don’t 
mean by this that you want to be conceited, but 
you’ve got to. be confident. 

“Now, about the kind of bat to use. Of 
course, ideas and opinions sort o’ differ on this 
matter. Some fellows seem to figure that it takes 
a big heavy bat to make a. big hit But my idea 
is that a fellow needs to have a bat that he can 
handle just as though it was a part of himself. 
For instance, if he’s a small sort of a lad, he can’t 
possibly swing a big heavy stick, but, of course, 
if he’s a big, husky fellow, naturally he can han- 
dle a heavier stick than a smaller fellow could. 

“So In picking out a bat mind the point, get 
one that suits your own ability. The length of it 


POP MURRAY GIVES A LITTLE TALK 163 

don’t make so much difference, nor the weight of 
it. If you can swing it easy and if you can get 
the feeling that the bat is really just a part of 
yourself, that’s the big idea. 

“The next point about batting is to have a good 
eye. You’ve got to be able to keep your eye on 
the ball all the time. I don’t care how much 
muscle a fellow has, unless he’s got a keen eye 
and gets the knack of knowing just how the ball 
is going to come, and just what break it is going 
to make, he’ll never make a top-notch batter. 

“And another point about batting, too, that I 
want to tell you is that it isn’t always the heavy 
hitter that counts the most, although, of course, 
the heavy hitters are always in demand. But 
some of the men that held the batting records in 
the big leagues are not such tremendous hitters. 
Take old Ty Cobb. Well, he hits them out pretty 
strong once in a while, yet it is the fact that he 
usually hits them safe and that he is such a swift 
and sure runner that makes him one of the star 
players in the major leagues. 

“You might say the same thing for Tris 
Speaker, although he quite often manages to make 
a home run. But, like Ty Cobb, Speaker is fa- 


164 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


mous for the fact that he hits them ‘where they 
ain’t.’ That is, where they are not easy to be 
fielded, and this is the thing that counts a lot in 
getting men on the bases and pulling in the scores. 

“When you are thinking of being a good bat- 
ter, remember that about half of the art of mak- 
ing a record as a hitter is to' be able to run bases. 
A feller that is slow in starting after he has hit 
the ball, or that’s logy in running the bases, isn’t 
very apt to be counted a star hitter. It is the 
bunched hits that win the games. If you haven’t 
any good hitter or quite a lot of good hitters on 
your team, no matter how good you play in the 
field when the other fellers are batting, the 
chances are against you. So, by all means, I 
urge every one of you to study the art of batting 
as much as you possibly can. 

“There’s another point about winning ball 
games that always has been sort o’ what you 
might call a hobby with me. I’ve often said to 
the boys over at East Wingate that it isn’t the 
hitting ability, nor the playing ability of the single 
players, that counts, but it’s the whole nine play- 
ing together, just like a machine, that turns out 
the winning nine. The thing that Js behind this 


POP MURRAY GIVES A LITTLE TALK 165 

team work is what some folks call inside baseball. 

‘Tt’s the planning of the games. It’s the ar- 
ranging of all sorts of signals so that every fel- 
low on the team knows just what is going to be 
pulled off and just how it is going to be done, so 
that every fellow is prepared to do his part in 
making the machine work just as it ought to work. 

“Now, if I should talk to you about this ma- 
chine work, this team work, this inside playing, I 
might be talking here all the night, because it is 
one of the biggest subjects about baseball. But 
there’s a few little pointers I can give you as sort 
of examples, and if you get together with Pro- 
fessor Thomas and your other coaches, you can 
surely figure out a lot of good things in the way 
of inside work. 

“Of course, the man to give the signals usually 
is the captain, and, if possible, it’s well for him 
to be the catcher. But every fellow on the team 
ought to know all the signals and ought to be able 
to give them, because sometimes the captain or 
the manager flashes the signals from the bench to 
one of the players and he passes them on to the 
rest of the players in the game. 

“You have all heard that McGraw of the Giants 


i66 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


is sometimes called the Napoleon of the ball field. 
That’s due almost entirely to the fact that he’s a 
regular wizard when it comes to the inside stuff, 
or what you call strategy. Many a game the 
Giants have won before the game was really 
played by the strategy that McGraw and Johnny 
Evers, his right-hand man, have worked out be- 
fore the two nines came on the diamond. 

‘They have figured out the tricks that were to 
be played and arranged their signals, and then 
when they came to the game they pulled them off 
just as they had arranged. In a good many boys’ 
baseball nines, about all the signals they arrange 
is between the pitcher and the catcher. But that’s 
a big mistake. Don’t forget that every man on 
the team should know the signals given by the 
captain, whether he’s telling the batter to hit it 
out hard or to make a bunt, or to wait it out or 
to strike at the good ones. There should be sig- 
nals for the fielders so that they know whether 
to play away back or to move in closer. And 
then, of course, there should be lots of signals for 
the base runners. 

“What the man on the coaching line is saying 
out loud shouldn’t be the real meaning of what 


POP MURRAY GIVES A LITTLE TALK 167 

he is saying to the men who are running. There 
should be a secret meaning to his words and his 
actions that tells the base runner just what he is 
expected to do, and not only tells the base runner 
what to do, but also tells the batter and all the 
other players; so that if there are two men on 
the bases at one time they both know from what 
the man on the coaching line is saying and doing 
exactly what’s expected of them. Then they won’t 
get their wires crossed and make a bungle of 
things. 

“But now I’ve talked to you a good bit longer 
than I expected to. Perhaps what I’ve said is 
not worth much to you, but I’ve done my best and 
if you’ll only remember the two things I point out 
— that it’s teaching the batters the ability to hit 
and good team work that win games — I feel pretty 
certain that the Wingate Academy will get the 
championship for the coming season.” Pop sat 
down amid the rousing cheers of all the boys. 

The meeting was not dismissed immediately, 
but there was a whispered conversation between 
Pop and Professor Thomas, Pop shaking his head 
and whispering, “You do it I” Finally the Pro- 
fessor rose and said: 


i68 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


“Boys, there Is a little further announcement 
that I think the baseball team will find of par- 
ticular interest. IVe tried to Induce Mr. Mur- 
ray to tell you about it, but he claims he has made 
as much of a speech for one evening as he can 
stand, so I will have to do the talking. 

“It seems that one of our players, whose name 
I won’t mention — possibly most of you can guess 
who It Is — has aroused the Interest of a man high 
up in circles of baseball In one of the teams of 
the major leagues. This prominent baseball man, 
not long ago, sent a letter to Mr. Murray in- 
quiring abouf this player. Mr. Murray replied 
promptly, and a few days ago he received a very 
interesting announcement from this gentleman, 
who is the manager of the World’s Champion 
Blue Sox. 

“He has sent an invitation, asking every mem- 
ber of our first baseball team, including the offi- 
cial scorekeeper, to attend a game, two weeks 
from Saturday, at the Polo Grounds In New York 
City, where the Pilgrims are going to play the 
Blue Sox. 

“Now it happens, very fortunately, that this 
Saturday is a day in which we had scheduled no 


POP MURRAY GIVES A LITTLE TALK 169 

regular baseball game, since this is the occasion 
of our Annual May Day Festival. I presume, 
however, the boys of the baseball team can get 
excused from this event, providing they desire to 
go and the consent of Doctor Bugbee has been 
obtained. 

“Mr. Murray has generously agreed to bear 
all of the expenses of the trip, and when Doctor 
Bugbee and I argued against this, he convinced 
us that it would be a privilege, since he says he 
has no sons or kin of his own and therefore con- 
siders it a privilege to occasionally spend money 
to give other boys a little fun. 

“The plan is for us to drive to New York in 
automobiles. Mr. Murray will drive one of the 
cars and I the other. We will have to start be- 
fore daybreak, Saturday morning, in order to ar- 
rive in New York in time for the game. We will 
arrange to stay in the city all night and return on 
the following day. Of course, it will be neces- 
sary for each of you to secure your parents’ con- 
sent to this trip before it can be taken, but I pre- 
sume none of you will experience any difficulty on 
that point.” 


CHAPTER XI 


THE SECOND GAME WITH LAKEWOOD 

For days following Pop Murray’s visit and 
his announcement of a trip to New York City 
with free passes to the game between the Pilgrims 
and the Blue Sox it naturally was the chief topic 
of conversation at Wingate. The rest of the stu- 
dents were envious of the ball players on the first 
team, and, of course, when they explained that 
Professor Thomas and Mr. Murray were going 
along to take care of them during the trip, none 
of the players’ parents objected. The ball player 
regarding whom the manager of the Blue Sox 
had written to Pop Murray was generally pre- 
sumed to be Pep, although, of course, the boys 
were mystified, and considerably flattered, to find 
the manager of the world’s champions taking in- 
terest in so small a school as Wingate Academy. 

The world began to look pretty rosy to Pep. 

170 


SECOND GAME WITH LAKEWOOD 171 

Not only was he winning more than his usual 
honors on the diamond, but naturally he was 
filled with considerable pride to even think of the 
possibility of himself being singled out for the 
attention of one of the great men in the ranks of 
balldom. 

Furthermore, he was progressing better than 
ever in his studies and was beginning really to 
like most of his school work, excepting Latin. 
Even in Latin, however, his markings were better 
than usual. He was beginning to be able to study 
and do his work almost independently of his two 
coaches. But Tick and Pink were not going to 
take any chances, so they kept up the coaching 
schedule which Tick had laid out. As a matter 
of fact, the two young coaches found that their 
system was not only beneficial to Pep, but also 
was a great assistance to themselves in their school 
work. While they were trying to teach Pep, they 
were making the lessons more clear to them- 
selves and deepening the impression of the main 
points of the matters they were studying. 

These things looked pretty good, so it is not 
surprising that, receiving so much praise and flat- 
tery from his schoolmates, being regarded as the 


172 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


popular athletic idol of the school, standing in 
well with his teachers, and last, but by no means 
least, feeling that there was a pleasant under- 
standing between himself and Clara Sweet, Pep, 
for the first time in his life, began to experience 
a slight attack of swelled head. 

This is a disease which very few boys of real 
talent escape. Sometimes it works out to their 
injury, but most of them are cured, although a 
few never recover. 

As is customary in school ball-playing, the sea- 
son at Wingate was rather short, consequently the 
boys were playing an average of two games a 
week, usually a game both on Friday and Sat- 
urday. In every game Pep was keeping up his 
splendid batting record. He acquired at least one 
home run in each game. 

So on the Friday before the date scheduled for 
their trip to New York, as the boys were motor- 
ing over to Lakewood, there was in general a 
much different feeling than they had held before 
the first game. In fact, there was not a player 
but fully expected that they were bound to win 
all three games from Lakewood. No one could 
see any possibility of their being defeated. They 


SECOND GAME WITH LAKEWOOD 173 

all seemed to have entirely lost sight of the fact 
that Lakewood had put up a very strong fight 
against them in the first game and that it was 
only due to Pep’s phenomenal work with the stick 
that they had managed to capture the game. 

At Lakewood, the games were held on an en- 
closed athletic field termed the Clark Stadium, 
named in honor of the donor of the fund for 
erecting it. As Pep looked about he began to 
speculate on whether it would be possible for 
him to hit a ball to go clear over the high fence 
of the stadium. There were both grand stands 
and bleachers, gaily decorated with bunting of 
the Lakewood colors. All the seats were filled 
and people were occupying every available place 
on the grounds, all rooters for the school. Lake- 
wood being a very small place, the military acad- 
emy was the chief business of the community. 

Following out the good advice that Pop Mur- 
ray had given in his little talk. Doc Tupper, as- 
sisted by Professor Thomas and the other boys, 
had arranged quite an elaborate system of signal- 
ing and had planned a number of special maneu- 
vers, or trick plays, which they expected to work 
during the game. 


174 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


After the usual warming-up practice the um- 
pire called the time and the first inning started 
with the Lakewood boys at bat. Perhaps it was 
one of those lucky flukes which are so common in 
baseball, or perhaps the Lakewood team had 
headed their batting order with one of their best 
players, but anyway the very first man at bat con- 
nected with the very first ball pitched and lined 
out a three-bagger. This was disconcerting to 
the Wingate boys naturally, yet it did not cause 
them to lose their grit. But one other player 
made a safe hit and the runner on third scored 
before they could get three men out. The Win- 
gate boys, however, in their half, were unable to 
score. 

In the second inning, although the Lakewood 
boys seemed to be reaching the ball quite fre- 
quently, owing to the good backing of both the 
Wingate infield and outfield, no runs were tallied. 

Pink was the first man up in the Wingate half 
of the inning and he managed to make a single. 
The second batter waited until finally Pink stole 
second. Then, at the signal from Doc, who was 
on the first base coaching line, the batter laid 
down a bunt which worked to perfection and ad- 


SECOND GAME WITH LAKEWOOD 175 

vanced Pink to third and enabled the runner to 
reach first safely. 

At this point, Doc planned to work one of the 
trick plays very common in baseball known as 
the double steal. Therefore, he signalled to Pep 
to let the first ball go by. Pep received the sig- 
nal, but as he had taken note of the Lakewood 
pitcher’s style of delivery, it flashed into his mind 
that the next ball was going to be of Pep’s favor- 
ite variety. So, thinking it would be a much better 
play for him to knock one of his big home runs 
instead of taking the chance of the double-steal 
trick working out. Pep put all his force behind 
the swing and connected with the ball for a long 
fly to right. 

Unfortunately, however, the fly was not a home 
run. The Lakewood player just managed to get 
under it and caught it safely. Meantime, both 
the runner on first and Pink on third were speed- 
ing towards home, both of them thinking that 
they had not understood the signals, and believ- 
ing the plan was for Pep to attempt one of his 
famous home runs. Both had gone too far to 
return safely after the fly was caught, and the 
fielder promptly shot it to first and the first base- 


176 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 


man relayed it to third, thus making a triple play 
and retiring the side. 

If the boy who had batted the three-bagger in 
the first inning had caused surprise, the result of 
Pep’s failure to make a home run and the dis- 
aster following it caused consternation among the 
Wingate boys. As Doc came down from the 
coaching lines, he inquired of Pep : 

“Didn’t you catch my signal to let the first one 
pass?” 

“Yes,” admitted Pep, “but it was such a good 
one I thought I could line it out and bring us all 
three in.” 

“You did, eh?” said Doc angrily. “Well, just 
for that we’ll try and finish up this game without 
your assistance. You can sit on the bench and 
Johnson can take your place in the field.” 

Pep was about to protest, but then, upon second 
thought, turned away without a word. 

It was not a ball game at which Pep was an 
anguished spectator from the bench. It was a 
tragedy. Some of the boys attempted to argue 
with Doc, but possibly he had been getting a little 
jealous of so much praise being given to Pep 
Pindar. At any rate, he stuck to his decision, and 


SECOND GAME WITH LAKEWOOD 177 

the affair seemed to take the heart right out of his 
players. 

Nevertheless, they played on doggedly and man- 
aged to hold the Lakewood score down to seven, 
although they were able to obtain only a single 
tally. 

It was a silent group of ball players who trav- 
elled back to Wingate that night. Pep felt that 
he had acted upon the right impulse, that it was 
simply a mistake that had not worked out as he 
had planned and that Doc had been too severe. 
The other players were somewhat divided in their 
opinion. Some of them thought that Doc was 
right in his method of disciplining Pep for failing 
to pay attention and carry out the plays as sig- 
nalled, while others thought Doc was wrong in 
not overlooking the matter.' Pink thought Pep 
deserved a little calling down, but that Doc should 
have still kept him in the game. 

As if in sympathy with the discouraged players, 
a drizzling shower started shortly after their au- 
tomobiles left Lakewood and continued all the way 
to Wingate. 

Meantime, the telephones had announced the 
sad verdict to the boys at school and there was 


178 ‘THE HOME-RUN KING” 

anything but a rousing reception given to the 
players. Being confident of victory, some of the 
boys had planned to have a bonfire and a big 
celebration. 

Professor Thomas had not been able to accom- 
pany the boys to Lakewood, but he came down 
to greet them on their return, and was about the 
only cheerful person present. He said: 

“What’s the matter with you fellows? Haven’t 
you ever been trimmed in a ball game before? 
You act as though you had lost your last chance. 
Just remember there is one more game with Lake- 
wood coming, so you have still got a first-rate 
chance of winning the series. But I’m afraid you 
won’t be winners if you allow a single defeat to 
discourage you as much as you appear to be right 
now. Anyway, cheer up, boys ! Remember, 
every fellow must be on hand promptly at three 
next Tuesday morning. Set your alarm clocks, 
as Mr. Murray is coming over to stay at Wingate 
Monday and we will meet at the front gateway 
and want to start at three o’clock sharp. It may 
not be quite daylight then, but, for the first time 
in your lives, some of you fellows may have a 
chance to see the sun rise.” 


SECOND GAME WITH LAKEWOOD 179 

The anticipation of the trip to New York of 
course allayed some of the pangs of their defeat, 
but they were anything but a cheerful lot of play- 
ers as they went to their beds that night. 


CHAPTER XII 


THE BOYS TAKE A TRIP TO THE POLO GROUNDS 

AND SEE THE BLUE SOX PLAY THE PILGRIMS 

While the trip down to New York might not 
be called exactly a joyous affair, due to the events 
of the previous Friday, yet it is pretty hard for 
healthy, athletic boys to nurse a sorrow or disap- 
pointment. It was particularly difficult for a fel- 
low to feel anything but happy on a trip over 
such splendid roads and through such beautiful 
scenery as the route through middle New York, 
over the Catskills and down through New Jersey. 
Besides, both Pop and Professor Thomas, who 
drove the two big cars, were especially gay; so it 
was not long before the boys were laughing and 
chaffing as usual and, of course, singing a good bit. 

The start from the Academy gate was not 
strictly on schedule, as Professor Thomas had 
proclaimed it should be. Afterwards, he con- 
180 


A TRIP TO THE POLO GROUNDS i8i 


fessed to the fellows that he had had too long an 
experience in dwelling with boys to expect all 
twelve fellows to be on time. However, the delay 
was less than half an hour for rounding up the 
stragglers and there were no absentees. 

The regular team consisted of eleven players, 
which, with Tick, the official scorekeeper, made 
up the even dozen. Doc acted as both captain 
and manager, therefore there were no other extra 
players. 

The drive was uneventful, without a single 
accident, even so much as a puncture or a blowout. 
Pop set the pace and kept his car spinning along 
at a steady thirty-mile clip and Professor Thomas, 
of course, had no difficulty in keeping close behind 
him. Of course, stops were made at Middletown 
and some of the other villages along the route, 
for light refreshments. But packages of sand- 
wiches were carried along so that it was unneces- 
sary to make a stop for dinner and the cars 
arrived at the Dyckman Street ferry a trifle after 
noon. 

Professor Thomas, who was a Columbia grad- 
uate and who was, therefore, quite familiar with 
New York City, had made arrangements in 


i 82 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


advance with one of the big apartment hotels on 
University Heights to take care of the boys. 
Landing at the ferry they drove down Broadway 
to a famous restaurant near Grant’s Tomb, where, 
despite all of the sandwiches they had stowed 
away during the trip, every boy made a clean-up 
of the luncheon that was provided. 

After luncheon they again entered the autos 
and were driven back up Broadway and thence 
across to the speedway where their cars were 
parked and for the first time they had a view of 
the Polo Grounds. 

Although it was nearly an hour before the 
time for calling the game, great crowds were 
pouring into the grounds from various directions, 
as both the Blue Sox and Pilgrims were strongly 
in the race for the pennant, the Sox having won 
the world’s championship for the two previous 
seasons, naturally the game was bound to draw a 
record-breaking crowd. 

But the boys were not obliged to stand in line, 
since they already had received passes. They 
were delighted to find that the box provided for 
them was in the very front, in the lower tier of 
the grand stand just a short ways from first base. 


A TRIP TO THE POLO GROUNDS 183 

The two opposing teams had not yet arrived 
on the grounds, although there were a dozen or 
more players in the uniform of the Pilgrims, some 
pitching and catching and one or two groups prac- 
ticing at bunting. 

The diamond was being put into shape by the 
attendants, and this, of course, was an interesting 
sight to the boys, who never had realized how 
much care is required to keep the big league base- 
ball diamonds in top-notch condition. Some of 
the boys were surprised to find so much turf on 
the diamond. They had supposed that the entire 
inner diamond was peeled like their own ball 
fields. Over the bare ground first was driven a 
sprinkling cart and then two different kinds of 
drags and then a group of men with rakes, shovels, 
brooms and scrapers proceeded to smooth down 
the uneven spots, while a big iron roller was run 
across it to make it as smooth and hard as pos- 
sible. 

It seemed almost a pity to let the players, with 
their spiked shoes, race around and tear up the 
smoothness again. But, as soon as the attendants 
left the field, a number of the players took pos- 
session of the field and began throwing balls 


184 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


around the bases, a do*zen or more balls being in 
action all at once. 

Meantime, the grand stands were filling and 
none of the Wingate boys had ever seen such a 
tremendous crowd in their lives. Presently there 
was a large murmur from the crowd, which soon 
swelled into a roar of applause as the regular 
Pilgrim players came from the club-house gate 
at the rear end of the field. As they marched 
across the field the crowd continued its cheering 
and hundreds of more or less humorous remarks 
were yelled by various spectators at the players. 

For the most part, the players seemed to pay 
no attention, although all were smiling and a few 
waved their hands at an occasionally witty quip 
from some fan. 

Presently there was another roar, and, to the 
surprise of the boys, just as loud and seemingly 
fully as enthusiastic, if not more so, than had 
greeted the Pilgrims. The Sox were now coming 
through the club-house gate and starting across 
the field. 

Up to that time the boys had not fully realized 
the fact that, at the Polo Grounds in New York, 
there is less of a partisan baseball crowd than can 


A TRIP TO THE POLO GROUNDS 185 

possibly be found on almost any other field, due 
to the fact, probably, that New York always has 
visitors from every part of the country. Like- 
wise, many of the citizens of New York formerly 
came from other sections and always retain a sort 
of home-town affection for their local team. It 
seemed to the boys that hundreds of the spectators 
acted as familiar towards some of the players as 
though they had been old college chums, even 
more familiar in some cases. 

It appeared to our boys that nearly everyone 
in the grand stands recognized and considered 
themselves as personal friends of Meaker, who 
was, at that time, possibly the best-known player 
on the Sox. From every side came friendly 
greeting. 

“Hello, Chris, old top, how’s the old bean 
working to-day?” 

Wagner, the shortstop, was almost equally well 
known and his face was wreathed in smiles as 
from all sides came the greeting: 

“Hello, Chick!” 

Joe Good, due to the wonderful pitching that 
had beaten the Giants in the world champion- 
ship series, and because of his continued good 


i86 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


work in the box since, was another most popular 
idol of the fans and he received the friendly 
“Hello, Joe” greeting. 

In fact, there was scarcely a player on the team 
who did not receive familiar and jocular recog- 
nition from the fans. Of course, there was 
considerable good-natured chaffing and caustic 
remarks as to what the Pilgrims were going to do 
with them, from the partisans of the Pilgrims. 
Yet the boys noticed that whenever a partisan 
remark was made in the grand stands there seemed 
to be always another fan nearby to take up the 
argument and all about them they could hear 
snatches of more or less earnest but good-natured 
discussion as to the respective merits, not only of 
the Pilgrims and Sox, but also of the favorite 
teams in the league. 

There was one particularly vociferous man, 
evidently from the middle West, who had no 
objection to letting the folks know that Detroit 
was his favorite team and that he was pretty 
certain that nothing could stop the Tigers from 
capturing the pennant. 

“I’ll tell the world,” said this man loudly, 
“that Ty Cobb alone is a baseball team all by 


A TRIP TO THE POLO GROUNDS 187 

himself. So, believe me, boys, this is Detroit’s 
year.” 

Plenty of others were quick to take up the 
argument and show him, in their judgment, what 
a slim chance Detroit had in the race. And so, 
on every side, there was amusement and entertain- 
ment for the boys, although, of course, their 
main attention was centered on the players caper- 
ing about and beginning to warm up with 
practicing on the greensward. Among the Sox 
players, there was not one who escaped the 
familiar, friendly or caustic greetings of the fans. 
Even the manager received calls of : 

“Hello, Jim, you old bean-eater. Suppose you 
have come down to get trimmed again,” the fan 
evidently ignoring the fact that the Sox were not 
getting trimmed any too often, as they were hold- 
ing their place well at the top of the first division. 

The manager, however, made no reply, but 
grinned genially at the remarks. Presently he 
detached himself from his players and walked 
down the field towards the grand stand. More 
remarks than ever were hurled at him all along 
the line, and, as he neared the box occupied by 
our friends, it was evident that he was looking 


i88 


THE HOME-RUN KING^ 


for them, since he, of course, had the number of 
their box, as it was through him that the free 
passes to see the game had been received. 

Naturally, the boys were in a flutter of excite- 
ment at the prospects of meeting a man so 
prominent in the baseball world. 

But as Manager McGilraw approached nearer 
the stand, for the first time. Pep recalled some- 
thing familiar about his face, although not on the 
instant, due, probably, to the fact that the base- 
ball uniform is somewhat of a disguise and makes 
it very difficult for one to recognize a person who 
has only been seen heretofore in ordinary dress. 
Pop, however, gave a knowing grin towards Pep, 
and suddenly it flashed through Pep’s mind where 
he had previously met the approaching manager. 

“Great Scott!” he said, “is that ” 

“Surest thing you know,” interrupted Pop, as 
he guessed what Pep was going to say. And 
when the manager came up he immediately recog- 
nized Pop and greeted him by name, shaking 
hands most cordially. Next, turning to Pep, he 
greeted : 

“How’s the church-window-busting-home-run 
hitter to-day?” 

Pep, of course, blushed and murmured that he 


A TRIP TO THE POLO GROUNDS 189 

was fine and shook hands; thereupon, Pop intro- 
duced the rest of the boys, all of whom counted 
the handshake with the manager as one of the 
proudest moments of their lives. Professor 
Thomas also was introduced. 

“Boys,” said the manager cordially, “I want 
you to make yourselves right at home and enjoy 
)^ourselves in every way, and after the game come 
over to the club house and meet some of my 
boys. 

“And now I must hurry back and get on the 
job, as we expect to trim these Pilgrims again 
to-day,” and he departed smilingly. 

Presently a bell was rung, whereupon the teams 
stopped their practice playing and retired from 
the diamond while the attendants again ran the 
drag over the base lines, and, with a big brush and 
a pail of whitewash, touched up the foul lines. 
While this was going on, with a big megaphone, 
an announcer walked around in front of the stands, 
calling out, at various intervals, the batteries for 
the day. 

“For New York, Colwell and Casey. For 
Boston, Good and Grady. Umpires, Dineen and 
O’Loughlin.” 


190 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

A few moments later another bell was sounded 
and the Pilgrims took the field and the game was 
on. At this date, the Chicago team was heading 
the first division of League pennant contenders. 
Detroit came next with only a few games behind, 
while the Sox were in third place, with the Pil- 
grims close behind them. In fact, there was only 
a single game difference between the Sox and 
Pilgrims on June first, the Sox having won eighteen 
and lost fifteen, and the Pilgrims having won 
nineteen and lost sixteen. Accordingly, if the 
Pilgrims won this game there would be a change 
in the standing and they would go in third place, 
while the Sox would have to go down to fourth. 
As may be expected, with these conditions, the 
game was a fiercely fought battle. In fact, it was 
one of the big games of the season and ran nip- 
and-tuck, it requiring thirteen innings before the 
Sox finally put across the winning tally, m.aking 
the score 4-3 in their favor. 

It was a game full of close decisions, during 
which the grand stand roared its disapproval of 
the umpires, threatening dire disaster for those 
worthies. Several times the boys thought that 
some of the disputes among the spectators in the 


A TRIP TO THE POLO GROUNDS 19 1 

grand stands would end in a fistic encounter, but, 
to the disappointment of some of them, no real 
fighting occurred, although one fellow was so 
wrought up that he very loudly proclaimed his 
willingness to do battle until one of the special 
policemen came along and squelched him with an 
order to “Sit down and shut up I” 

The thrilling moments were too numerous to be 
recounted. Our boys, being the guests of the 
manager, were all rooting vigorously for the Sox, 
which brought them a few caustic remarks from 
some of the spectators who evidently took them 
for a group of New England school boys. One 
fellow’, much to the embarrassment of little Tick 
Wood, singled him out as a Johnny Boston Beans 
and began hurling various and sundry personal 
remarks at little Tick, who, although among the 
boys was usually able to hold his own in any 
verbal encounter, now felt somewhat at a disad- 
vantage. 

The speed with which both teams raced to their 
club houses after the first winning tally was put 
across was a surprise to the boys, but not so much 
as they were surprised to see how quickly the 
whole field was overflowing with spectators, as 


192 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


they poured out from the stands and went out 
towards the Sixth Avenue exits. 

There were little groups of excited friends hold- 
ing post-mortems over various plays and setting 
forth their reason why the umpires should be 
promptly executed for what they regarded as their 
criminal blunders. Other little groups stopped 
here and there on the diamond and seemed to 
examine the sacks, making gestures showing where 
they had thought the base runner, In sliding to a 
bag, had been put out instead of being safe as the 
umpire had announced, or perhaps the contrary. 

The boys made their way into the crowd across 
the field to the club house, where Pop handed the 
doorkeeper a little card that Manager McGilraw 
had given him and was promptly admitted. As 
the manager was removing his uniform and 
donning his street clothes, he chatted freely with 
the boys and called over various players and In- 
troduced them. 

Of course, every fellow wanted to shake hands 
with Chris Meaker and several of the other star 
players, all of whom, like the manager, were en- 
gaged In changing their costumes. 

Pop Murray attempted to make a little formal 


A TRIP TO THE POLO GROUNDS 193 

speech of thanks for the manager’s kindness in 
sending him the passes, but Mr. McGilraw 
promptly interrupted him and said : 

“That’s all right. I’m always glad of a chance 
to give a little encouragement to youngsters, be- 
cause it’s no telling when we may be needing some 
of them. Getting a pennant these days is no easy 
job, and we have to keep our eyes open all the 
while. In fact, some of the baseball writers have 
claimed that we are even beginning to examine 
all the babies that are born in this country in order 
to size up whether there is any chance of their 
growing up to become baseball players.” 

The boys laughed at this and Pop continued: 

“We know you are a mighty busy man, Mr. 
McGilraw, and we don’t want to bother you, but 
maybe you could give the boys just one bit of 
advice as to what you think is the most important 
quality for a baseball team to possess in order to 
become a pennant winner.” 

The manager did not hesitate a minute, but 
promptly said: 

“Obedience.” And then, as the boys seemed 
to appear surprised at his reply, he continued: 
“Yes, sir! Boys, obedience is just as important 


194 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


in a baseball team as it is in a military organiza- 
tion. You see, winning baseball games in these 
modern days is not altogether a matter of having 
an aggregation of star players. For instance, 
right now, the sporting writers tell us that the 
Browns have the best pitching staff, and, accord- 
ing to these baseball writers, more star players 
than any other team in the American League, yet, 
as you know, the St. Louis team has not been 
able to get out of the second division this season 
and most of the time they have been pretty far 
down in the cellar. 

“Of course, I am not admitting that there are 
any more stars in any other team in the League 
than there are among my own boys, but the big 
thing that we are working at and trying to de- 
velop, and the thing that we believe is going to 
bring us the pennant, is the fact that our boys 
have got the spirit to win and they are working 
together like a machine, and they obey orders just 
as strictly and promptly as good soldiers do.” 

After a little further chat the boys again shook 
hands all around, during which each one tried to 
thank him individually and mumbled a few words 
as to how hard they were pulling to have the Sox 


A TRIP TO THE POLO GROUNDS 195 

win the pennant and how well they liked the Sox, 
and then they took to their cars and proceeded to 
their hotel. 

As they were seated at the dinner table that 
evening it was observed that Pep Pindar was in 
a brown study. He had been reviewing the events 
of the day and one thing that had impressed him 
deeply was the bit of advice given by Mr. McGil- 
raw. He could not help thinking of this advice 
in connection with his own playing at Lakewood 
a few days previously. The more he thought of it 
the more he began to see wherein he had been at 
fault in the matter. Finally, he decided that he 
would call Doc Tupper aside and apologize. 
Then, remembering that he had made his mis- 
play before everyone and that the boys all knew 
that he had thought he was in the right, he 
instantly decided that the only thing was a public 
apology, so, therefore, he burst out: 

“Doc, I want to say something to you and the 
rest of the fellows.” And, as the boys noticed his 
seriousness, their chatter promptly stopped and 
every eye was upon him. “I want to say that I 
am awfully sorry for what I did the other day at 
Lakewood in not obeying the signal you gave me. 


196 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

I thought I was right, but now, after what Mana- 
ger McGilraw said, I can see I was dead wrong, 
and I hope you will forgive me and I promise that 
ril never make another bad break like that.” 

Instantly, Doc, who was sitting across the table, 
put out his hand, which Pep grasped as Doc said: 

“That’s all right, old boy, just you forget it. I 
guess I was just as much to blame as you was, 
losing my goat and putting you out of the game 
when I knew that we needed you to win.” 

As may be imagined, Pep’s manly, open 
apology, and Doc’s prompt reply, cleared away 
every cloud that had hovered over the team and 
knit the boys together more firmly than almost 
anything else possibly could have done. 

It was a hilarious bunch of boys who attended 
the show at the Hippodrome that evening, and 
no one laughed more loudly at the jokes of Slivers 
and the other clowns, or cheered more lustily at 
the brilliant exploits of the mermaids, or ap- 
lauded more vigorously at the marvelous perform- 
ance of Ppwer’s elephants, than did the boys from 
Wingate. 

The trip home the following day, like the trip 
down, was made without mishap, but the good 


A TRIP TO THE POLO GROUNDS 197 

spirits that now reigned among the boys caused 
them to enjoy everything about the trip even more 
than they had in coming down. As Pink remarked 
to Doc that night as they separated to go to their 
rooms : 

“Well, old top, I guess our little trip to New 
York wasn’t a success maybe. I guess it wasn’t 
what we needed to put us in trim for wallopping 
the daylights out of Lakewood, eh, boy?” 

And Doc, with a cheerful grin, replied : 

“You said it, old kid. I’m already beginning 
to feel sorry for those Lakewood fellows. What 
we are going to do to them next Saturday will be 
a plenty.” 


CHAPTER XIII 


PEP PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART IN A KID- 
NAPPING PARTY 

The day of the final game with Lakewood had 
been scheduled for the day before the Lakewood 
Military Academy closed for the season. There- 
fore, at the request of the boys, it had been 
arranged to play the game in the morning, as this 
would permit some of the Lakewood players to 
leave for their homes that afternoon, since Lake- 
wood drew its students from all sections of the 
country, and their final term closed a little ahead 
of the closing date of Wingate Academy. 

Probably few baseball teams have faced a final 
decisive game with an opposing team in greater 
feeling of certainty of victory than did the Win- 
gate boys as the morning dawned on the day of 
the big game. Likewise, it is equally probable 
198 


PEP IN A KIDNAPPING PARTY 199 

that few baseball teams have ever been dismayed 
by anything as greatly as the Wingate boys were 
dismayed a few hours before the game when it 
was discovered that Pep Pindar was missing from 
his room and from the Academy, and that no one 
knew anything of his whereabouts. The only in- 
formation that could be discovered was that Tick 
said that a man in motoring costume had called 
that morning before either he or Pep were out of 
bed and that Pep had told him that he was going 
out on a little errand and would be back soon. 
Therefore Tick rolled over for a little further 
snooze, and did not get any more particulars re- 
garding the nature of Pep’s errand. 

No one could possibly account for Pep’s disap- 
pearance. Messages were telephoned to his home 
and every other possible place that could be 
imagined that he had gone, but not a single clue 
could be found. 

Naturally, all of Pep’s friends were distracted, 
and, as this included Doc, Pink and every other 
member of the ball team, it was a pretty dubious 
outfit that got ready to face the Lakewood players. 

An even larger crowd of rooters than on the 
previous occasion had accompanied the Lakewood 


200 


‘^THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


team to Wingate, since the victory at Lakewood 
had renewed the confidence of the boys of the 
Military Academy and they felt pretty sure of 
winning the final game and thus again capture the 
championship. Both Wingate and Lakewood had 
been undefeated by any of the other schools of the 
vicinity, therefore this game would decide, not 
only the winner of the two schools, but also would 
give the winner the championship for the section. 

There was very little snap in the practice work 
exhibited by the Wingate boys, previous to the 
calling of the game. They were a disconsolate 
lot, and, to all practical purposes, the game, to 
them, was already lost. Not that they regarded 
Pep as the whole team, yet his mysterious disap- 
pearance had cast such a feeling of gloom over 
the other players that it was impossible for them 
to stimulate the zest required to win against the 
formidable Lakewood outfit. 

Of course, the search for clues as to the missing 
member was kept up vigorously up to the very 
opening of the game. There was some talk of 
suggesting a postponement, yet, as the Lakewood 
school would be closed the following day, and, 
therefore, it would be impossible to arrange a 


PEP IN A KIDNAPPING PARTY 201 


later game to decide the championship, conse- 
quently this proposal was not made. 

The Wingate boys decided to go on and fight 
it out even if their cause seemed to be hopeless. 
The hour set for the game was ten o’clock, and 
only five minutes were lacking to this time when 
there seemed to be some sort of a disturbance 
among the players on the Lakewood bench. Pres- 
ently the captain of the Lakewood team came 
forward with an anxious look upon his face and 
beckoned to Doc Tupper. Said the Lakewood 
captain : 

“Our fellows just heard a few moments ago 
that Pindar, your star batter, is missing.” 

“Yes, that’s so,” Doc admitted dubiously, “but, 
of course, we are going to do the best we can with- 
out him.” 

“Well, we’ve just found out where he is!” was 
the Lakewood captain’s startling announcement. 
Continuing, he said: 

“I’m very sorry to confess that a fellow attend- 
ing Lakewood, who happens to be a personal 
enemy of Pindar, thought it would be a clever 
scheme and bring credit to our school and, also, 
gain revenge for himself, by luring Pindar away 


202 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


by a cock-and-bull story and then keeping him 
away until after the game. But I hope you know 
that Lakewood doesn’t stand for any dirty work 
of that sort, and, when this fellow said something 
accidentally that aroused our suspicions, we made 
him confess the whole plot. We find that Pindar 
is detained in a certain house only a few miles 
from town, and we, of course, will be glad to have 
the game delayed until you can send an automobile 
to release Pindar and bring him back.” 

Pink, who was standing by and overheard this 
statement, immediately exclaimed: 

“We know w^ho the skunk is who played the 
trick, all right, and I am ashamed to own him as a 
citizen of our home town. But I never thought 
he would have the nerve to pull off such a deal.” 

“I understand,” said the Lakewood captain, 
“that he didn’t work up the plan alone, but was 
assisted by a young man, a friend of his, who lives 
here in Wingate, and, thus far, he refuses to dis- 
close the name of this confederate.” 

Thinking rapidly, Pink said, “I know who it is. 
It’s Jake Snyder, who works as night clerk at the 
Fairfax Inn. He and Sweetie have always been 
as thick as thieves, and I’ll bet Jake had more to 


PEP IN A KIDNAPPING PARTY 203 

do with this dirty work than Sweetie. Jake has 
been trying to shine around Sweetie’s sister, and 
she won’t have anything to do with Jake, but is a 
pretty good friend of Pep’s. Besides, Jake and 
Pep once had a big run-in during a game in our 
home town.” 

“But,” said Doc, “let’s not waste any time talk- 
ing. Let’s find out where he is and get a car out 
there and have him brought back without any 
more delay.” 

Accordingly, Pink and several other boys Im- 
mediately went in search of a car, and soon were 
speeding on their way to the house in which, ac- 
cording to Eddie’s confession, Pep was being 
detained. 

The place was an abandoned farmhouse a few 
miles up Snake Hill road, which was a side road 
very little used, because It ran over a very steep 
hill, connecting with another main road on the 
other side. As the boys approached the house 
they noted another automobile standing In front 
of the house, but, upon seeing the boys’ car arriv- 
ing, two men, who were evidently on the watch, 
hastily jumped Into the auto and speeded away 
over the hill. 


204 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


The boys did not give chase, for their first 
object, of course, was to release Pep. 

The door of the house was not locked, and, 
immediately upon entering, they heard a noise of 
pounding in one of the rooms upstairs. Making 
their way to this room, which they found locked, 
they easily burst in the door and there found Pep 
securely tied, hand and foot, and with a gag over 
his mouth to prevent his crying out. He was 
promptly released, and, of course, the boys asked 
him further particulars as to how he happened to 
be there. 

“We can explain things going back,” said Doc. 
“Let’s hop into the car and get back and get the 
game started.” 

“Oh, haven’t you started the game yet?” asked 
Pep. “Of course not,” he continued, as he took a 
second thought, “you couldn’t very well play with 
all you fellows out of it.” 

And as the boys proceeded to the car. Pep told 
his story. 

“Early this morning,” said he, “a fellow came 
to our room and knocked on the door. He told 
me that the day before Pop Murray had been out 
driving a man around the country who was buy- 


PEP IN A KIDNAPPING PARTY 205 

Ing stock, and that they had gone up the Snake 
Hill Road and had some sort of an accident in 
which Pop was hurt, not seriously, the fellow ex- 
plained, but so he had to stay in a farmhouse there 
for a while. They got a doctor for him, and Pop 
had telephoned a message over to the Wingate 
garage and wanted me to come right over with 
this man who said he was one of the men working 
at the garage. 

“Pop said he had something important that he 
wanted to see me about before the Lakewood 
game. Of course, I couldn’t figure what it was, 
but, as Pop has always been talking a lot about 
strategy in ball games, I thought maybe he had 
some scheme to tell us about, which he was pretty 
certain would help us in winning the game. x\s 
this fellow said it would take less than an hour to 
run out and see Pop and get back, I jumped into 
my clothes and told Tick I was going on an errand, 
and went down and got into the car with this 
fellow and we started off. Well, we went along 
and came to the Snake Hill Road, and I didn’t 
suspicion anything, and when he got to the house 
another fellow came out and said: 

“ ‘Go right along in. Pop is waiting for you.’ 


2o6 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


“But the minute I opened the door and started 
to go in and saw that the house was empty, I 
turned, but before I could do anything one of the 
fellows slipped a sack over my head and they had 
me tied like you fellows found me almost before I 
could wiggle. The sack held my arms right down 
to my side, and the two men grabbed me and threw 
me down to the floor so I couldn’t do anything. 

“I tried to yell, but I couldn’t do it with that old 
sack on my head. They left the sack on me until 
they took me upstairs, and then they took the sack 
off and put the gag in my mouth and left me lying 
there. 

“They told me not to get scared, that they were 
going to come in and let me go after a while, and 
that it was just a trick that one of the students had 
hired them to play on me. They seemed to think 
that it was some sort of a hazing affair, and 
seemed to have a lot of fun out of it. 

“I couldn’t tell ’em about the ball game or any- 
thing else, because, with that old gag in my mouth, 
and with my hands and feet tied, I couldn’t even 
make motions. Do you fellows know who did it?” 

“Sure,” said Pink. “Can’t you guess?” 

“Sweetie?” 


PEP IN A KIDNAPPING PARTY 207 

“Yes, he and your old friend, Jake Snyder, tried 
to put up the job. Jake, of course, was doing it 
out of pure meanness, and, of course. Sweetie was 
doing it not only to get even with you for busting 
his hat, but also because he thought he would be 
doing a good turn for Lakewood by keeping you 
out of the game.” 

Thereupon, the full details of events that had 
taken place on the ball field were explained. 
When the boys reached the grounds they found 
that Sweetie had managed to take French leave, 
and further inquiries disclosed that he had tele- 
phoned to his friend Jake, who had immediately 
quit his job and departed for parts unknown. 
Sweetie, however, it was found out, returned to 
his home. It later developed that, for his partici- 
pation in the affair, he was expelled from Lake- 
wood, although no further punishment was meted 
out to him. 

It was later disclosed that the two men who 
drove the car had actually told Pep the truth about 
the matter. They were friends of Jake’s, and he 
had convinced them that it was just a part of a 
school-boy hazing trick, and, as he and Sweetie 
had paid them well for their services, and had 


208 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


assured them that they would not get into any 
trouble over the escapade. Since their story 
seemed plausible, they were not prosecuted. 

Pep was not at all the worse for wear, excepting 
that he was mighty hungry, having gone without 
his breakfast. 


CHAPTER XIV 


THE FINAL GAME WITH LAKEWOOD 

As Pep and his friends came upon the ball field, 
they were greeted with a roar of cheers almost 
deafening. The boys had rushed Pep to his room, 
where he had jumped into his baseball togs and 
then raced onto the field. Despite his famished 
condition, they would not let him eat a bite, as 
Pink told him that lots of athletes considered it a 
good system to go without a meal before entering 
upon any big event. 

Being commencement week, the crowd In the 
stands and on the grounds was unusually large. 
On account of the closeness of the contest. It 
looked as though the students at Lakewood had 
almost come over In a body. The cheering that 
Pep received from the Lakewood rooters was as 
vociferous as that from his own schoolmates and 
the baseball fans of Wingate. 

209 


210 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


As he came near to the home plate his fellow- 
players rushed out and tried to shake hands with 
him, all at once. Likewise, the Lakewood captain 
came over with a beaming smile and making 
further apologies for the mean trick attempted 
by Eddie Sweet, shook Pep’s hand heartily, which 
caused a renewed outburst of cheers from the 
spectators. 

As the game had already been delayed more 
than an hour, of course there was little time 
wasted in further preliminaries. The Wingate 
boys took the field and the big struggle was on. 

It is doubtful if there was ever a baseball game 
which took place under circumstances quite like 
this was. The honorable action of the Lakewood 
captain had dispelled every particle of bitterness 
from the rivalry between the two teams. As Doc 
Tupper had put it to the Lakewood captain, “Of 
course, we’re going to do our best to win and we 
expect to win; yet, if we do lose, we will feel proud 
to lose to a team that has as square a bunch of 
fellows as you fellows have shown yourselves to 
be.” 

To which the Lakewood captain had blushingly 
replied, “That’s all right. We don’t expect you 


FINAL GAME WITH LAKEWOOD 2 1 1 


are going to win, but if you do w^e shall have the 
same sort of a friendly feeling. We shall feel 
that we were licked fairly and squarely.” 

Yet this spirit of friendliness between the two 
teams did not detract one particle from the ear- 
nestness of their struggle to win. In the history 
of the two schools there never was a game fought 
more fiercely, yet with an utter absence of bicker- 
ing. Every decision of the umpire was received 
without a murmur, a most unusual thing, as every 
spectator or player in a ball game knows. The 
spectators seemed to have caught the spirit of the 
situation, and the brilliant plays were cheered 
almost equally from both sides. 

And there certainly were plenty of brilliant 
plays. As has been noted, the Lakewood team 
was superior in many respects to that of Wingate. 
Having a much larger group of students from 
which to draw its players, with a professional 
physical director as a coach and with every pos- 
sible facility for developing a team, including an 
indoor batting cage for the winter season, of 
course these things brought their advantages. 

Yet in one thing the Wingate boys had the best 
of it. That one thing was the absolute harmony 


212 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

of their team work. The events of the previous 
game and those connected with their trip to New 
York had so Impressed the Wingate boys with the 
Importance of good team work that their opera- 
tions were almost like that of a perfectly oiled 
machine. Time and time again the Wingate boys 
won points purely upon the success of their splen- 
did signaling system. 

Both teams were fortunate In having unusually 
good pitchers for prep school teams, therefore not 
a player on either team was able to cross the home 
plate until the last half of the seventh. 

To Pep’s deep humiliation, the very first time 
at bat he tore big holes In the atmosphere, but 
failed to connect with the ball and was struck out. 
Probably his eagerness overcame him. The sec- 
ond time up he managed to connect with the ball, 
but It was a high foul and was caught. Pep came 
to bat the third time In the last half of the seventh, 
after two men were already out and no men on 
bases. This time, however, he succeeded with his 
usual performance and put across a home run, 
coming In with the first and only score up to that 
time. The next man up went out on a pop fly. 

Thus the battle continued with neither side 


FINAL GAME WITH LAKEWOOD 213 

making another score until the ninth inning when, 
in their half, the Lakewood boys managed to get 
a sufficient number of safe hits to bring in a run 
and thus tie the score. 

The Wingate boys, in their half of the inning, 
were still unable to score. The game went on for 
three further innings with neither side being able 
to gain an advantage. 

In the Lakewood half of the thirteenth inning 
the spell was again broken and another score reg- 
istered. When the Wingate boys came to bat the 
first man was struck out, the second man knocked 
an infield grounder and was thrown out at first. 
The third batter managed to draw a free pass. 
Again Pep came to bat and right there the game 
was finished. 

He made his second home run of the day, 
bringing in the two scores which were, of course, 
sufficient to win the game, the score standing 2-3 
in favor of Wingate. 

To say that the Lakewood boys were not dis- 
appointed to lose a struggle so hardly fought 
would, of course, not be true. Yet there was no 
soreness. Neither was there any disposition on 
the part of the Wingate boys to crow too highly 


214 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


over their victory. They were overjoyed at win- 
ning, yet every player realized that he had been 
obliged to strain to the utmost In order to win, 
and also realized that, as In the very first game 
with Lakewood, the victory had been due, very 
largely, to the brilliant work with the stick by 
Pep Pindar. 

Possibly there neverjhas been a baseball game 
in which the rival members of the two teams have 
been cheered so heartily by both sides. As Doc 
Tupper acknowledged to the Lakewood captain, 
“You fellows did as much to help us win the cham- 
pionship as anyone when you helped us to find Pep 
and insisted upon the game being delayed until he 
could play.’* 

The Lakewood captain replied: “Well, we 
made you go some, anyway, didn’t we? And we 
are not going to cry over losing the championship 
this year, since we can’t help ourselves. We’ll let 
you have It for a year and then take it away from 
you again next year.” 

“Perhaps,” said Doc with a grin, “but, you 
know, you can’t sometimes, most always tell.” 

“But where’s our home-run hero?” he suddenly 
exclaimed, noting that Pep had managed to elude 


FINAL GAME WITH LAKEWOOD 215 

his cheering and congratulating friends and gotten 
away from the field. 

Little Tick Wood did not need a second guess 
to find out where to locate the missing Pep. He 
lead the bunch of fellows straight to the nearest 
restaurant, and, sure enough, there was Pep busily 
engaged in trying to eat up all the food in the 
place. V 

“I know why you knocked those two home runs 
now, you old rascal,” greeted Tick. “You just 
wanted to get the game over as quickly as possible, 
so you could get something to eat.” 

“You bet I did,” mumbled Pep with a grin. 


CHAPTER XV 


PEP IS INITIATED INTO THE ORDER OF THE 
GOLDEN BAT 

While the principal and teachers at Wingate, 
as seems to be the custom in most preparatory 
schools, frowned upon any sort of secret fraternity’- 
among the boys, of course there were the usual 
number of social and literary clubs. Likewise, 
there was one organization in the school that came 
nearer to being a secret fraternity than any of the 
other clubs, although none of its secrets were dark 
and hidden mysteries. Furthermore, several of 
the teachers, including Professor Thomas, were 
honorary members and regular attendants at the 
annual meeting of this fraternity, which was known 
as The Order of the Golden Bat. It was not in 
reality a club, as it did not hold meetings except 
its big annual blow-out, as the boys called it, at 
216 


THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN BAT 217 

which there was a hilarious time initiating new 
members and ending with a grand and glorious 
feast. 

As indicated by its title, this society was com- 
posed largely of the fans and players of the base- 
ball team. The rites and ceremonies were varied 
with the different candidates. In fact, the whole 
affair was sort of a scheme to get a lot of fun 
playing horse with the popular heros of the dia- 
mond. The lesser lights usually were given a 
short initiation, while most of the fun and ingen- 
ious effort of the initiators were concentrated upon 
the chief candidate of each annual occasion, and, 
of course. Pep was the logical victim for this 
year. 

Pink, Tick and Andy, and several other can- 
didates, had already gone through the mill. Pep 
being reserved as the final and chief candidate. 
Carrying out the instructions that had been given 
to him. Pep had arrayed himself in his baseball 
suit, and, at the appointed hour, arrived at the 
gymnasium, where he was met by one of the boys, 
arrayed in a black cowl and gown, on the front of 
which was emblazoned two golden bats, cross- 
wise. Pep was then blindfolded and a pair of gym 


2I8 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


sneakers substituted for his baseball shoes. His 
guide instructed him that he was not to say any- 
thing, but simply to carry out all the instructions 
that would be given to him after he entered the 
ceremonial chamber. 

The guide gave nine raps upon the door, which 
was opened, and a voice called: 

“Who comes here?” Whereupon the guide 
replied: 

“Paul Everett Pindar, a poor, feeble worm of 
the dust, who is a candidate for admission to our 
most noble and exalted order.” 

“Has the candidate been informed that the 
Order of the Golden Bat permits none to enter 
its sacred precincts save those who prove their 
worthiness by submitting to our ancient ordeal to 
test their strength of soul, mind and body?” 

“The candidate has been so informed and has 
given his sacred word as assurance that he will 
perform all tasks that are ascribed to him to the 
best of his strength and ability,” was the guide’s 
reply. 

“Then let him enter our glorious Temple of 
Whang and suffer himself to perform the tasks 
and faithfully obey the commands of our Most 
Noble and Exalted Ruler.” 


THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN BAT 219 

The guide led Pep to the center of the room, 
whereupon the boy who was acting as master of 
ceremonies, in deep, sonorous tones, delivered an 
address full of strange rigmarole and designed, 
of course, to show the candidate his own unworthi- 
ness and to inform him what an exalted organiza- 
tion he was being permitted to enter, and, 
furthermore, let him know what a fearful and 
dangerous ordeal he would have to undergo before 
he could be admitted. At the conclusion of the 
exalted ruler’s address, he stated: 

“Since courage is not only the most necessary 
qualification for success in any field of effort, but 
is a trait particularly essential in playing the noble 
game of baseball, our first effort will be to find 
whether the candidate has sufficient courage to 
make him qualified to take his place with the other 
members of our noble order who have already 
proven themselves worthy. The first test will be 
the Leap for Life.” 

Still blindfolded. Pep was led to the foot of a 
stairway, and, assisted by the boys, he began to 
climb the stairs. Finally the guide announced that 
he had reached the pinnacle and must now prepare 
himself for the ground jump. Careful instruc- 
tions were given him as to which direction he 


220 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


should jump and how careful he must be in order 
to strike the mattress on the floor below him. As 
Pep realized how long the stairway had been, he 
felt that it certainly must be rather a dangerous 
jump, although he felt certain that no special 
harm would befall him. He made a prodigious 
effort, and, amid the roars of laughter, immedi- 
ately found himself sprawling upon a wrestling 
mat. The stairway which he had been mounting 
so carefully, had been arranged by a series of 
boxes, which the boys kept removing, therefore 
his leap for life had been only a few feet in height. 
His guides, of course, promptly lifted him to his 
feet, ai:id it was announced that the next test would 
be for endurance. 

He was told that, as an especial test for the 
candidates of the Order of the Golden Bat, he 
would have to crawl through the Tunnel of 
Despair, that a hole had been dug underground 
and sewer pipe laid for a quarter of a mile, and 
his next ordeal was to crawl through this pipe. 
He was accordingly led out of the gymnasium, 
still blindfolded, of course, and finally made to 
kneel before an object, which, as he felt of it with 
his hands, sure enough, appeared to be the en- 


THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN BAT 221 


trance to a large sewer pipe, through which, with 
considerable squeezing, he managed to crawl. 

Never in his life did he realize how long a 
distance was a quarter of a mile. He kept going 
on and on and on and the pipe seemed to turn 
this way and that way, and yet, all the while, he 
could hear the boys laughing somewhere just out- 
side the pipe. Finally, after what seemed to him 
ten or fifteen minutes of most strenuous effort, he 
emerged from the opening, whereupon the blind- 
fold was removed and he was shown that what he 
had been really crawling through was twp big 
sections of sewer pipe, and that just as he went 
into one section the boys would put the other sec- 
tion down for him to crawl into and then keep on 
shifting these two sections until they finally figured 
that he had proven his quality of endurance. 

Again he was blindfolded and guided back to 
the gymnasium, and told that his next test must 
be that of strength. He was instructed that it 
would be necessary for him to pull two ropes, to 
each of which was attached a weight of three 
hundred pounds. Still blindfolded, of course, the 
ends of two large ropes were put into his hands 
and at the signal he started to pull. Yet, struggle 


222 


THE HOME-RUN KING’ 


as hard as he could, he could not seem to budge 
either of the weights. Finally, thinking that he 
would move first one and then the other, he gave 
a tremendous jerk with his right hand, and, im- 
mediately, the rope slipped from his left hand 
and he fell to the floor, whereupon the boys re- 
moved the blindfold and showed him that he had 
been pulling upon the different ends of a single 
rope, which had been arranged in pulleys so that 
he had been actually pulling against himself, one 
hand against the other. 

He noted that all of the members of the clan 
were garbed in the same black robes and cowl 
with the crossed golden bats on the breast, similar 
to the gown of his guide. The exalted ruler, how- 
ever, held in his hand a gilded baseball bat, which 
he wielded as a scepter. 

The ruler then, with the usual rigmarole, began 
to instruct him as to the importance of a good 
wind or lung capacity as a quality that all good 
ballplayers must possess. Therefore the next test 
was for Pep’s lung power. He was led before a 
machine and long tube, at the end of which was 
a guage similar to that of a steam engine. On 
the dial of this guage were various figures repre- 


THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN BAT 223 

senting the number of pounds of pressure, and 
Pep was told that, In order to pass the test, he 
must blow into this tube until he had registered 
one hundred pounds. Taking the tube in his lips, 
he puffed and puffed, and, sure enough, the hand 
of the dial moved slowly around towards a hun- 
dred, but, as it reached the hundred pounds, sud- 
denly from some concealed part, there sprayed 
forth a stream of water which caused him to 
promptly stop blowing and begin snorting and 
wiping the water from his face. 

The next test was to find out whether he could 
catch a ball, and, standing at one end of the room, 
at the other end of which one of the members 
proceeded to hold up for his gaze what appeared 
to be a new regulation size baseball. Pep was 
told to prepare himself to catch this In his bare 
hands, and suddenly the ball was hurled swiftly 
at him. He did catch It, but, instead of being a 
real ball. It turned out to be an imitation made of 
soft sticky dough. 

He next had to give an exhibition of base slid- 
ing, and the moment he hit the base he evidently 
touched off some sort of a blank cartridge, which 
went off with a very loud report. 


THE HOME-RUN KING” 


Then he was tested for his batting ability. He 
was given a bat about the size of a toothpick, 
while the pitcher hurled peas at him, which he 
made every possible effort to bat, amid the jeers, 
hoots and howls of the laughing boys. 

At this point, the master of ceremonies raised 
his gilded bat majestically and announced: 

“We now come to the grand final ordeal of our 
ceremony. The candidate has thus far proven his 
worthiness to the satisfaction of the brethren 
present. He has given satisfactory evidence of 
his courage, strength, endurance, lung power, and 
his ability as a ball player. But something further 
is required of those who gain admission to the 
grand and noble Order of the Golden Bat. While 
we require that our brethren must be proficient in 
the manly science of ball playing, yet they must 
be more than merely ball players. We must have 
members who possess other talents than those dis- 
played upon the diamond. So our next test will 
be to discover, if possible, whether the candidate 
possesses some individual talent, something that 
will distinguish him from all his fellow men. 

“The candidate has friends among the brethren 
assembled, so I would now ask if there is any 


THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN BAT 225 

member present who knows the history of the 
candidate who can suggest any further quality 
that he may show to convince us that he is a de- 
sirable member of our most noble and exalted 
brotherhood.’* 

At this point, from behind one of the cowled 
faces, there came a voice which Pep recognized 
as that of his friend Tick’s. Making an elaborate 
bow before the master of ceremonies. Tick said: 

“Most noble and worthy ruler of our grand 
and glorious order, I desire to suggest one further 
test for our candidate. In his home town, this 
youth has won much fame as the most silvery- 
tongued orator of the community. I submit, 
therefore, most worthy ruler, that the candidate 
should be required to entertain and instruct the 
brethren by giving one of his justly famous 
orations.” 

“Well spoken, worthy brother,” said the exalted 
ruler promptly. “It shall be as you advise.” 

^‘Brethren, give attention while the candidate 
will proceed to deliver us an address !” 

Immediately all the members gathered at one 
end of the hall, leaving Pep facing them, amid a 
silence that was most oppressive. How the boys 


226 


“THE HOME-RUN KING^ 


were able to control their sniggers no one can tell. 
But to Pep it was the most embarrassing moment 
of the evening’s ordeal. Yet, as he had promised 
that he would carry out the commands of the 
master of ceremonies, after coughing and stand- 
ing, first on one foot and then on the other, he 
finally began, 

“Ladies and gentlemen.” 

At this opening, the sniggers could no longer be 
suppressed, and Pep, recalling that there were no 
ladies present, took a fresh start, saying : 

“Fellow citizens.” 

Then, as the audience waited expectantly, he 
finally stammered: 

“I am no silvery-tongued orator. I never 
made a speech and I don’t know what to say now.” 

As if by a preconcerted plan, there came cries 
from the audience: 

“Casey at the Bat! Casey at the Bat!” And, 
despite his protests, he was forced to stumble 
through the recitation which had given him his 
opportunity to go to Wingate. 

Possibly no gem of elocution ever has been mis- 
treated more frequently than this classic, which 
the famous actor, De Wolf Hopper, has made so 


THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN BAT 227 

well known throughout the country. Likewise, it 
is quite probable that no one ever maltreated the 
piece quite so atrociously as Pep. However, 
prompted by Pink and Tick and the other boys, 
he managed to stumble through it to the finish. 
But when mighty Casey was struck out, Pep felt 
also that he himself was all in. 

Fortunately, this finished the ordeal and the 
boys immediately removed their cowls and gowns, 
and came forward to cheer and congratulate him. 
Since his initiation concluded the ceremonies of 
the evening, the next thing on the program was the 
big eats. Therefore the boys trooped across to 
one of the school dining-rooms where a bountiful 
feast was spread, and, amid quips and jibes, 
everyone was soon engaged in storing away the 
good food. 

At the conclusion of the meal. Doc, who had 
been the master of ceremonies, arose and briefly 
announced a speech by Professor Thomas. 
Tommy was in his element. The one thing that 
endeared him to the boys was the fact that, while 
in the class room he was a strict disciplinarian, 
yet on an occasion like this he was the jolliest boy 
of them all. 


228 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

In his speech he alternately paid tribute and 
poked fun at the various boys assembled. To 
each candidate who had been initiated he delivered 
a few pointed remarks, and presented each with a 
beautifully gilded baseball bat bearing the can- 
didate’s name, the date of his initiation, and an 
appropriate inscription. When it came Pep’s turn 
to receive the golden bat. Tommy said: 

“And we now come to one of our new members 
who has earned a distinction which I am sure not 
one of us will deny; rather, I feel that each one 
of us will take pride that one of our brethren has 
made so excellent a record. 

“And I am not speaking entirely of the record 
that this young man has made on the baseball 
field, although this has been truly an excellent one. 
We will often recall his achievements on the dia- 
mond, yet he himself, I think, will some day 
look back upon an achievement which he will count 
as o’ertopping anything which he has done on the 
ball field. 

“The credit for the victories he has won on 
the ball field has been due, to a considerable ex- 
tent, to the fact that he has been bountifully 
endowed by nature with a talent for ball playing. 


THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN BAT 229 

But the credit of his achievement as a student is 
something that he has had to acquire by the exer- 
cising of all the talents of strength, endurance, 
courage, persistence and the other qualifications 
for which he has been tested during the previous 
ceremonies of this evening. 

“The token that I am about to present will 
always be a memory of this happy occasion, I am 
sure, and around it will cling memories of vic- 
tories worthily won, but back of all of these vic- 
tories will be the greatest of them all, the victory 
that he has made in persistently and diligently 
maintaining his required standing in his classes, 
despite his natural inclination against being an 
earnest student. 

“So, to you, Pep Pindar, as I hand you this 
token, I congratulate you, not only for your vic- 
tories on the field, of which this token is a symbol, 
but also upon the greater victory that you have 
achieved in the quiet, industrious hours that you 
have spent in your study room.” Thereupon he 
handed to Pep a gilded bat, bearing the inscrip- 
tion : 

To Pep Pindar, the Home-Run King. 


CHAPTER XVI 


CLASS DAY AT WINGATE 

Although the final game with Lakewood 
officially closed the baseball season at Wingate, 
Pep was quite a prominent actor in one further 
game of baseball. There was more acting than 
ball playing, however, in this game, so, perhaps, it 
is hardly fair to use the term “ball game” to 
characterize the event. 

Class Day at Wingate was always wholly given 
over to all sorts of hilarity and jollification, from 
early morning until late at night. The alumni of 
the school, together with relatives and friends of 
students, assembled for the Commencement Week, 
and the students devised every possible ingenious 
method for entertaining themselves and their 
friends. Of course, there were the usual cere- 
monies of the graduating class, the usual Class 
230 


CLASS DAY AT WINGATE 231 

History, the Class Will, giving various and 
sundry articles to members. Also, there was the 
planting of a class tree, and singing of class songs. 
But the event of greatest hilarity was a fantastic 
field meet, one feature of which was a burlesque 
baseball game between a picked nine selected 
from the freshmen and junior classes against an- 
other picked nine from the sophomore and senior 
classes. Pep, Pink, Tick and Andy were all 
members of the junior class, having been admitted 
to this class, skipping the two previous years, be- 
cause of their work at East Wingate Union School. 

It was a real baseball game and the losers were 
obliged to serve ice cream and cake to the win- 
ners, but every year the game was played in some 
sort of fantastic costumes. This season the 
Sophomore-Seniors were called the Hobo Nine 
and the Freshman-Junior team The Dudes. 

Players on other teams vied with each other in 
trying to deck themselves out in the most fantastic 
costumes imaginable, the Hoboes, of course, ar- 
raying themselves in Happy Hooligan outfits and 
the like, while each of the Dudes tried to outdo 
even Solomon in all his glory. 

Tick, not being able to participate in this event 


232 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


personally, made up for it by exercising his in- 
genuity in designing Pep’s costume. Somewhere, 
Tick got hold of an old swallow-tailed suit with 
a white vest, too large, but the coat and trousers 
too small. Then, somewhere, he dug up a pair of 
patent leather pumps and a pair of the most bril- 
liant crimson socks. There was the customary 
stiff-bosomed, “hard-boiled” shirt with high collar 
and black bow tie. To top it all was an old stove- 
pipe hat of the vintage of fifty years ago, about 
three sizes too small, but tied on to Pep’s head 
with a ribbon under the chin. 

Tick had some dijfficulty in persuading Pep to 
wear such a ridiculous costume, but, as all the 
others were doing likewise, and as Pep really felt 
under strong obligations to “Prof. Wood Tick” 
for coaching him so ably through school, of course 
his objections were overcome. 

Pep’s bigness never stood out more prominently 
than when he appeared on the ball field arrayed 
in this peculiar costume. Of course, the fun and 
laughter distracted considerably from the ball 
players’ ability, although, despite their comical 
costumes, they played ball just as earnestly as if 
they were out for the world’s championship. 


CLASS DAY AT WINGATE 233 

When Pep first came to bat there was an inter- 
ruption from one of the boys. The umpire 
obligingly called time, whereupon from back of 
the grand stand there came a group of boys bear- 
ing upon their shoulders a baseball bat at least 
fifteen feet long. It was explained that, as he 
had already made a great record with an ordinary 
bat, they wanted to present him with this “small 
token” of their appreciation. No sooner had the 
fellows presenting the bat finished their little 
“spiel,” when another boy also asked the umpire 
for an extension of time, and presently out came 
another group of boys, wheeling an old cannon 
that had been used to decorate the school grounds. 

They insisted that, since Pep was proposing to 
use an extraordinary bat, that, in order to equal- 
ize affairs the pitcher should be permitted to use 
this cannon. After considerable argument it was 
decided that Pep would not use the big bat until 
a later game, therefore the services of the cannon 
was dispensed with and it was lugged off the field. 

Whether the distraction of the fun made the 
pitcher careless or whether the spirit of the occa- 
sion moved Pep to unusual effort, his very first 
crack was another home-run hit, again putting the 


234 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

ball into the river. Also the swing cracked his 
swallow-tailed coat pretty nearly from stem to 
stern. Fortunately, however, the trousers held, 
although they were pretty sadly dilapidated before 
the game was finished. The stove-pipe hat, like- 
wise, lost most of its glossiness and accumulated 
a number of dents. Yet every single time at bat 
Pep nailed out a home run, and, owing to the fan- 
tastic playing, there was one inning in which he 
batted twice. 

The game was called at the end of the fifth 
inning, and, despite all of Pep’s home runs, the 
Senior-Sophomore team were the winners, and 
Pep, Pink, and Andy, with other members of the 
losing team, were obliged to bear in a big cake 
and a freezer full of ice cream, and serve the 
same to the winning team, amid the laughter and 
plaudits of the spectators. 

At night each of the four classes had held sort 
of a banquet, or, as the boys called it, a Grand 
Class Spread, at which their friends and relatives 
were their guests. Pep’s father, mother and sis- 
ter, Pop Snyder, and the Rev. Mr. Fletcher were 
present at Class Day, and, of course, were guests 
at the Junior Class Spread in the evening. An- 


CLASS DAY AT WINGATE 


235 


other guest whom Pep did not, by any means, 
consider last or least was Clara Sweet. 

The guests, of course, had been present at the 
Class Day exercises, and had especially enjoyed 
the fantastic ball game. Everybody was in a 
jovial mood, and even Pep’s father was beginning 
to act as though he was having a good time, 
although, as usual. It had required Katy’s utmost 
efforts as a coaxer to persuade him to come over 
to the affair. 

Tick, on account of his well known abilities as 
a rough-and-ready speaker, had been elected the 
toast-master for the Junior Spread. There was 
no set program of speech-making, but as soon as 
everyone felt comfortably stuffed with the boun- 
teous food that had been provided. Tick started, 
calling upon various prominent members of the 
class and also the Invited guests, to make 
speeches. After Pink had responded with a brief 
and joking talk and Andy had blundered through 
an apology for not being able to speak. Tick next 
began a most flowery Introduction as to th^ treat 
that was In store for the assembled guests, stating 
that there was a famous sllvery-tongued orator 
present, “than whom, etc. ” 


236 “THE HOME-RUN KING” 

Of course it did not take long for the folks to 
get on to the fact that Tick was referring to Pep. 
That worthy himself knew what was coming the 
minute the words silvery-tongued orator were 
spoken. Furthermore, he was absolutely deter- 
mined that he was not going to make a fool of 
himself before his folks, especially with a certain 
young lady present. Consequently, despite all of 
Tick’s eloquence and the hilarious urgings of his 
friends. Pep refused to budge one inch from his 
chair or say anything but “Nothing doing,” which 
he repeated most vigorously several times. 

Finally, seeing that his efforts were not going 
to avail in this direction, a happy inspiration came 
to Tick’s mind and he proceeded: 

“Very well. In view of the fact that our sil- 
very-tongued orator seems to be In one of his ex- 
tremely modest moods, due to the fact, no doubt, 
that he has been leading a rather strenuous life 
and been very much in the limelight lately, It has 
just occurred to me that we have with us to-night 
a gentleman from whom our gifted friend prob- 
ably has Inherited his well-known talent. There- 
fore, since the son refuses to entertain us with his 
eloquence, I now have pleasure in calling upon the 
father for a few remarks. 


CLASS DAY AT WINGATE 237 

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. John Pindar.” 

To say that Mr. Pindar was surprised is to put 
it mildly. Yet he was game, and, after some 
blushing and giving sort of a humorous glare at 
Tick for calling upon him, Mr. Pindar arose to 
his feet and said: 

“Well, Mr. Toast-master and folks. I reckon 
that in spite of all that has been said about silvery- 
tongued orators, that speech-making doesn’t run 
very strong in the Pindar family — that is, among 
the men folks.” This latter with a quizzical smile 
in the direction of Mrs. Pindar and Katy. 

“However, I suppose the one thing to do to 
satisfy you folks is to show you that I can’t make 
a speech by trying to make one. 

“I don’t know just what you expect me to say, 
but there is one thing that I have been thinking a 
good deal about to-day and I might as well get it 
off my chest here as anywhere, I suppose. I want 
to say that I have enjoyed myself about as much 
to-day and to-night as I ever have in my life. 
When I was a boy, we didn’t go in much for this 
sort of thing and I have always had to keep my 
nose so close to the grindstone that, I guess, I 
have never taken as much time as I should have 
to get more fun out of life. 


238 


“THE HOME-RUN KING” 


“I used to think that my boy, and you other 
fellows also, were wasting altogether too much of 
your time in playing ball and having fun; but I am 
beginning to see that maybe I was mistaken. 
Anyway, I don’t believe I ever laughed more in 
my life than I have to-day, so I just want to say to 
you boys that I am mighty glad that things have 
turned out as they have. As you all know I was 
a little dubious about having Paul come over here 
to this school, because I figured that all he cared 
about was ball playing. But I have been talking 
with some of his teachers to-day and the things 
they have said to me have made me change my 
mind quite a bit. 

“I find that my boy and you other East Win- 
gate boys also have not been going behind in your 
books in order to get ahead in your games, and I 
am beginning to see that there Is more in this mat- 
ter of getting an education than I ever thought 
there was. I never had much chance to go to 
school myself and I guess I didn’t get quite the 
right idea about the matter, but now, as the 
church folks say, I have been converted, and I 
am mighty glad that Paul and you other boys 
have done so well In your school, and I want to 


CLASS DAY AT WINGATE 


239 


say right here that I hope he and all of you, too, 
will go right on through, clear to the top, college 
and everything. I guess this isn’t much of a 
speech, but it is all I have got to say.” 

But it was a speech that made a big hit with 
the boys, nevertheless. The applause that fol- 
lowed was so hearty as to cause Mr. Pindar to 
blush almost as deeply as Pep was already blush- 
ing. 

Following the class spreads, there was a general 
school dance in the school gymnasium. As a 
group of our East Wingate young folks were 
gathered in one of the halls adjoining the gym 
during an intermission between the dances. Tick 
remarked : 

“Well, Pep, old top, your dad’s little talk to- 
night takes away a lot of our worries, don’t it? 
I didn’t know but what we might have to fix you 
up for another prize-speaking contest in order to 
get you a chance to get to college, but now your 
father has relieved my mind on that point.” 

“Never you mind,” said Pep, “I wouldn’t make 
another speech in order to get to go to any college 
in the country. Just the same I was mighty tickled 
at what father said about it.” 


240 ‘THE HOME-RUN KING’ 

“Yes,” put in Pink, “looks now as though we 
can all make Syracuse University together. You 
know. Pep, we have been planning to go all along. 
This will let you in with us, too. We’ll all go and 
keep the old East Wingate gang together.” 

THE END 


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girls, written by popular authors. These 
are charming stories for young girls, well 
told and full of interest. Their simplicity- 
tenderness, healthy, interesting motives 
vigorous action, and character painting wil 
please all girl readers. 

HANDSOME CLOTH BINDING. 
PRICE, 75 CENTS. 

A BACHELOR MAID AND HER BROTHER. By I. T 
Thurston. 

ALL ABOARD. A Story For Girls. By Fanny E. Newberry- 

ALMOST A GENIUS. A Story For Girls. By Adelaide U 
Rouse. 

ANNICE WYNKOOP, Artist. Story of a Country Girl. 

By Adelaide L. Rouse. 

BUBBLES. A Girl’s Story. By Fannie E. Newberry. 
COMRADES. By Fannie E. Newberry. 

DEANE GIRLS, THE. A Home Story. By Adelaide L 

Rouse. 

HELEN BEATON, COLLEGE WOMAN. By Adelaide L. 

Rouse. 

JOYCE’S INVESTMENTS. A Story For Girls, By Fannie 
E. Newberry. 

MELLICENT RAYMOND. A Story For Girls. By Fannie 

E. Newberry. 

MISS ASHTON’S NEW PUPIL. A School Girl’s Story 

By Mrs. S. S. Robbins. 

NOT FOR PROFI T. A Story For Girls. By Fannie E 
Newberry. 

ODD ONE, THE. A Story For Girls. By Fannie E. New- 
berry. 

SAHA, A PRINCESS. A Story For Girls. By Fannie E. 
. Newberry. 


%0r sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on ’seceipt of price by the 
publishers. A. I** BURT COMPANY, 114-1?0 East ^3d Street, New York 



The Camp Fire Girls Series 

By HILDEGARD G. FREY. The oniy senes of stories for 

Camp Fire Girls endorsed by the officials of the Camp Fire 

Girls' Organization. 

Handsome Cloth Binding. Price, 75 Cents per Volume. 

THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS IN THE MAINE WOODS; or. 
The Winnebagos go Camping. 

This lively Camp Fire group and their Guardian go back 
to Nature in a camp in the wilds of Alaine and pile up 
more adventures in one summer than they have had in all 
their previous vacations put together. 

THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS AT SCHOOL; or. The Wohelo 
Weavers. 

How these seven live wire girls strive to infuse kito their 
school life the spirit of Work, Health and Love and yet 
manage to get into more than their share of mischief, is 
told in this story. 

THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS AT ONOWAY HOUSE; or. The 
Magic Garden. 

Migwan is determined to go to college, and not being 
strong enough to work indoors earns the money by raising 
fruits and vegetables. The Winnebagos all turn a hand 
to help the cause along and the “goingson" at Onoway 
House that summer make the foundation shake with 
laughter. 

THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS GO MOTORING; or. Along the 
Road That Leads the Way. 

In which the Winnebagos take a thousand mile auto trip. 

THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS' LARKS AND PRANKS; or, The 
House of the Open Door. 

THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS ON ELLEN'S ISLE; or. The 
Trail of the Seven Cedars. 

THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS ON THE OPEN ROAD; or, 
Glorify Work. 

THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS DO THEIR BIT; or. Over tht 
Top with the Winnebagos. 

THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS SOLVE A MYSTERY; or. The 
Christmas Adventure at Carver House. 

THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS AT CAMP KEEWAYDIN; or, 
Down Paddles. 


For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the publishers 

A. L. BURT COMPANY, 114-120 East 23rd St., New York 


The Blue Grass 
Seminary Girls Series 

By CAROLYN JUDSON BURNETT 

Handsome Cloth Binding 

Splendid Stories of the Adventures 
of a Croup of Charming Girls 

THE BLUE GRASS SEMINARY GIRLS' VACATION 
ADVENTURES ; or, Shirley Willing to the Rescue. 

THE BLUE GRASS SEMINARY GIRLS' CHRISTMAS 
HOLIDAYS ; or, A Four Weeks' Tour with the Glee 
Club. 

THE BLUE GRASS SEMINARY GIRLS IN THE 
MOUNTAINS; or, Shirley Willing on a Mission of 
Peace. 

THE BLUE GRASS SEMINARY GIRLS ON THE 
WATER; or. Exciting Adventures on a Summer's 
Cruise Through the Panama CanaL 


The Mildred Series 

By MARTHA FINLEY 
Handsome Cloth Binding 

A Companion Series to the Famous 
”Elsi0’* Books by the Same Author 

MILDRED KEITH MILDRED’S MARRIED UFF 

MILDRED AT ROSELANDS MILDREl AT HOME 
MILDRED AND ELSIE MILDREF S BOYS AND GIRLS 
MILDRED’S NEW DAUGHTER 


For sele by all booksellers, or sent postpai lOor, ^Jiptof price by the puWishert 
A. L BURT COMPANY. 1 14-120 E' .t 23d Street. Now York. 










































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